Money Isn't Everything
by WeaverOfFate
Summary: Very AU. Harry Potter is the only son of the rich and powerful Potter family. As such, he is a 'prince' of sorts in society, doing whatever he wants whenever he wants. However, life has some nasty surprises in store. Action,romance,etc.HHr eventually
1. Chapter 1

**Money Isn't Everything  
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_Chapter 1  
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_**DISCLAIMER: **_Harry Potter is owned by JK Rowling, not me. This is all done purely for enjoyment, no profit involved at all.

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People have often said that money doesn't buy happens. While this is true, it does buy stuff that brings you happiness. After all, you cannot buy an emotion, you have to buy an experience or item that will elicit an emotion. Another thing that people say is that money isn't everything, this I respectfully disagree with. Money is everything. It controls the world, as much as we might not like to admit it. We use it to buy food, shelter, clothing, comfort, entertainment, and basically life itself. It is a source of power and of status, both of which are so very much important in today's world, especially in the Wizarding one. Money, and wealth for that matter, is something that is so heavily ingrained within us that we cannot simply do without it. The old barter system will never make a comeback, unless we do have a post-apocalyptic scenario, which, though possible, is highly highly highly unlikely. Therefore, money is key to a successful and happy life, at least that's what I think. Take it from me though, I have a _lot_ of money, so I would know.

My name is Harry Potter, though my complete name is.... well, you don't really need to know so I'll just keep it to myself. I am currently sixteen years old, just graduated from school, and am the only son of very wealthy and successful parents, oh and am a member of the Potter clan too. Our bloodline goes waaaaay back, maybe one of the dinosaurs might have even been a relative. I know a few relatives that display dinosaur-like behavior, at least, and that might explain it. Anyway, we're one of the oldest bloodlines around, and that counts for a lot of political weight in the Wizarding world. Oh, right, I forgot to mention. I am a Wizard; yes, that means I can do magic and all sorts of other crazy things. No, I am no Gandalf, but that would be awesome if I was, except without the whole old age and white hair part. (Yes, I've seen Muggle movies - they're quite entertaining, even though you can't really interact with them and its really only in 2D)

My entire family is magical, and we all live in the Wizarding world, in Wizarding Britain to be exact. I'm not entirely sure how my family came to be here, I haven't bothered to read that far back in the archives, all I know is that we're here, I'm here, and it's all going great so far. Oh, and the reason I mention the Wizarding world as opposed to just the world is because we magical people live almost completely separate from non-magical peoples' world. We have established communities within non-magical communities, but through magic we are not only rendered invisible but we also do not take up that much "real world" space. Think of it is an alternate plane on top of an alternate plane... okay that did not really say what I wanted to explain. Nevermind, it matters little how it works, it justsSo does. Accept it. Move on.

I graduated from the presitigious Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, with one of the top marks in the class I might add. I've always had a thirst for knowledge, knowledge is power after all, and combine that with money and you're golden. Hence my formula: Smart + Loaded = Power + Women^2 = good. Being rich as I am, I did not need to worry about having a job. In fact, I never even really thought about it. I imagined that, had I not been wealthy, I probably would have gone for an Auror position with the Ministry of Magic, but since I am wealthy that never became anything more than speculation.

Ah yes, we do have a Ministry of Magic, a complete government system and all, but with a lot of customs and laws and it's all very complex. I haven't really been taught how to navigate myself through it yet, but I will learn more as I grow older. My parents are supposedly experts at it, and they're considered to be good folk. I like to think so, anyway, they love me, I love them, they've given me no reason to work for the rest of my life, so I love them even more. It works out well. Okay, they really are good people, I'm just messing. They're two of the nicest people I know among families with the same social status that we have. I guess it does help that there are only a handful of families with roughly the same wealth and power, give or take some.

But that's enough background for now, I'll explain things as I go along in case there are things that need explaining. Which reminds me, I really do need to get going. Today I officially start the rest of my life after school, and it is an exciting time to say the least.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"You want what?" my mother asked, her emerald eyes locking onto mine.

We were halfway through breakfast when I decided to pop the question. I was having some waffles, well okay maybe a dozen waffles (I have a big appetite) when it dawned on me that now that since I was going to officially be an adult soon I should have my own place.

"I'm sure you heard me the first time, mother dearest. I want my own place, my own pad, my fortress of solitude... and partying." I added the last bit under my breath.

My mother was a very protective one, I admired her for it, hell I loved her for it, but all birds eventually leave their nest, and it was my time.

"James?" my mother turned to dad, who was reading the Daily Prophet, one of the more popular of the news sources, "James? What do you think?"

"Absolutely, Lils," he said without once looking up from the paper.

As soon as he said that the paper flew out of his hands, which caused him to elicit a cry of protest and annoyance. The paper, however, rolled itself up and proceeded to hit him repeatedly on the head. Trying to fend off the paper with his hands, he relented, "Okay, okay! I give!"

My mother didn't release the spell until he actually had some thoughtful input. He proceeded to tell her that I was almost of age and that it would be required of them anyway that I start to live on my own. Perhaps not right away, but soon enough, and it wouldn't hurt to already have a place in mind so that it could be set up before I eventually and officially moved out of my parents' home.

Huffing, my mother, Lily, adjusted her flaming red hair for a moment, a sign that she was thinking about it, and the paper gently floated down to the table and remained still. She wouldn't refuse me, goodness no, I was almost of age after all and father was telling the truth. I was merely asking out of habit, aaaand also because I know that my parents, or at least my mom, would have liked it if I finally asked to leave and face the world on my own.

"Well, alright... I guess I can't really stop you now, can I? You have to promise me that you'll come and visit.... _often_ too, not just once a year," she finally relented as she toyed around with her food. I knew I'd have to deal with the whole emotional thing when I eventually leave, but I didn't exactly look forward to that moment.

Smiling at this however, I thanked them both profusely. The rest of breakfast was spent talking about other matters, such as Quidditich and the new Minister of Magic, as well as any news on my friends that I would like to relate to my parents. Once I was finished, I excused myself and, kissing my mom on top of the head and hugging her, I promised that I would come visit as much as I can. It was just as I was leaving that my dad finally put the paper down.

"Did you have a place picked out already?" my father asked curiously.

I turned around, "No, but I have a few ideas." And with that I was out the door.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

I went to one of three apparition spots in the house and apparated out to Gringotts in Diagon Alley. I was one of the few people who could directly enter the bank without having to step foot once outside in Diagon Alley. Not that I disliked the place, as I have been out and about the area before, but it does help to save time and effort. I was quickly approached by a goblin that asked me my name.

"Harry Potter," I replied, looking around the bank. It was still a bit early in the morning, so there were not a lot of people, but it was still a busy place what with all the goblins walking around and working.

I was swiftly led to my family's designated goblin. Being one of the older, wealthier, and more prestigious clans did have its benefits after all. His name was Griphook, a friendly and spirited goblin, much unlike most of his kin. I hazarded I guess that it was my dad who chose him to be our official goblin liaison. He was still a goblin, however, and was specially trained to work at Gringotts, so he was still quite capable and professional. He at least was not dull.

"Well, Mister Potter, I am surprised to see you here without your parents, then again the time does fly by now does it? You must be of age already, if I'm not mistaken," he said as we walked down a few passageways to his office.

"Not quite, but almost. And yes, I do think this is the first time I've been here alone," I tried to recall if I ever did go here before by myself, but I really had not. My parents had always withdrawn the funds for me, and since they always withdrew more than enough than I could spend I had no other reason to go to the bank by myself.

"Indeed, sir, indeed. Now please do sit," he got behind his desk and sat down on his own chair as I made myself comfortable.

The office was moderately-sized, no doubt enlarged magically. It would have resembled a dungeon had it not been lit a little more than a dungeon would have been, as the stone walls, floor, and ceiling had a cold look to them. There were a few paintings on the wall, as well as a suit of goblin armor and weapons, which I found fascinating. The only other things in the room were the furniture: three chairs for clients, a large ornately carved wooden table, the chair for Griphook, and a bookshelf containing a lot of tomes and books. There was also a side door, which was somewhat hidden by the bookshelf, and I wondered what it was for.

"What be your business today, mister Potter?"

"Well, I came here today for two reasons. First, my parents had mentioned something about special cards that you offered for those who did not wish to go to the bank all the time," I replied, "It would definitely help as well with the larger purchases, for even though money pouches can hold a lot of gold, counting them out is still a pain, even if it is done magically."

Griphook nodded, "Of course, of course. I expected as much. We do charge an creation and enchantment fee for creating the card, as well as a yearly service fee, since the card must be renewed every year -- more for security purposes than the magic wearing off really." The goblin paused as he took out some papers from one of the drawers of his desk. "We can have that done by tomorrow," it was at this point I asked for two -- in case I needed a spare --, "If you would just please sign here, it will cost you approximately 424 galleons total for both creating the cards and next years service fee."

After signing the documents, he then placed them carefully aside and asked me what the second part of my business was.

"I am in the market for a house, and I was wondering if you could provide a list of available properties in the area, as well as a list of the highest-valued properties on the market." I might as well see what the best has to offer as well I reasoned.

Smiling, the goblin revealed rows of sharp teeth that looked like they needed a lot of attention, "Ah, that is wonderful. Finally getting your first place eh, mister Potter? Wonderful indeed. I can have those for you by tomorrow as well. Now is there anything else?"

I wanted to withdraw some money for any purchases I might have today, as I had planned on going around the Alley and maybe even muggle London for a bit. I was in the mood for going out.

After thanking him for his time and services (the pleasure was all mine, mister Potter) I proceeded to exit the Wizarding bank, satisfied that my business was done with no problems.

I squinted as the sunlight momentarily blinded me upon leaving the relatively dimly-lit bank. Again, due to the earliness of the day, there were few people about, but the shops were open so I ambled about. I wasn't looking for anything in particular, I was more trying to stay out of the house, after all with my Gringotts business done, and with gold in my pocket, I wanted something else to do.

Ten minutes later I found myself outside the Quality Quidditch Supplies store, where a small group of children not much younger than I was when I first entered Hogwarts were ogling the new broom displayed in the window.

**Nimbus 3000 **it said on the small plaque underneath it. It looked sleek and fast, but I still favored the Firebolt I owned. Though it did not look as sleek, it definitely was fast, especially since I paid extra to have a few more enchantments and charms placed, as well as lesser restriction on the required speed limit set by the Ministry. Quidditch, was after all, regulated by the Ministry, not only for safety but also to ensure some semblance of order in an otherwise chaotic game.

The broom industry was trying to compete with the big kid on the block, which was the Firebolt, and this new Nimbus broom was no doubt an attempt at trying to take down the popular high-end broom.

"Harry??" a voice called from somewhere off to my left.

Surprised, I turned to see my good friend Ronald Weasley. His family's trademark red-hair instantly gave him away even before I fully settled my gaze on his face, though of course I already knew him well enough to recognize him instantly. He was taller than I by a few inches, well-built from Quidditch at Hogwarts. He was our team's Keeper, and he was pretty damn good at the position.

"Ron! Great to see you here. Couldn't wait to get out of the house either, eh?" I took his hand and we bumped shoulders, patting each other on the back.

He nodded, "Yeah, I see you felt the need too. My mum was bloody bawling today, talking about how proud she was that I had _passed_ my classes and graduated."

I laughed, shaking my head, "So do you have anything planned right now?"

"Not really, no. I was only going to look around, you know, see what's up."

"Actually, I'm surprised you're up this early," I remarked, raising an eyebrow. Ron was notorious for sleeping in whenever he could back when we were students. It feels weird to say that, 'back when we were students,' it makes me feel older than I really am.

"Yeah, well the twins were home and they decided it would be fun to wake me up at an ungodly hour. I couldn't fall back asleep, you know me, so I just ate breakfast anyway, and that's when mum started crying. I knew I had to leave so I came here," he said, scratching his head and shrugging.

We continued to talk for a while, telling me how his family was doing. His dad was doing excellently, apparently, having just been promoted to Deputy Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, which his old Section was under, the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office. Along with the rise in rank also came a higher pay-grade, which was definitely welcomed by the family -- they weren't exactly well off, nor were they poor however, but they were a little bit on the edge until now. He said that Mrs. Weasley was already planning some remodeling to their house, which was called the Burrow -- a home made of haphazardly joined together rooms centered around a central spiral staircase that did not look structurally sound; it was held together by magic after all. His mother was, as usual, smothering them with her affections, though she was getting less angry nowadays apparently and more just emotional as she's realizing that almost all her children are out of the nest. Only him and Ginny remained under her wing, not that the others weren't but they were all leading separate lives now, and he was about to leave as well. Only Ginny remained, and she was only a year behind. Speaking of Ginny, she was apparently doing really well in her classes. Ron's expression went a bit dark when he talked about her new boyfriend, some boy named Evan.

His three older brothers were also doing quite well. Percy was still working at the Ministry as secretary for the Minister, Amelia Bones -- Fudge having resigned over allegations of corruption and threats of a criminal trial and investigation -- and he was supposedly enjoying his work. No questions were asked regarding his involvement with Fudge's shady dealings, and he made no attempt to confess if anything did happen. Bill, the eldest Weasley child, was still in Egypt, helping with curse breaking and securing tombs and vaults and whatnot, though he apparently mentioned that he was being referred for some work in China so he might be moving there soon. Charlie was still working with dragons in Romania, nothing new to report there, though he was supposedly seeing this girl there and he wanted her to meet the family sometime. The twins, Fred and George, were doing really well with their business and were already looking for a second location.

"I still wonder how they got the money to start their first shop.." Ron admitted, "They wouldn't tell me or anyone else, even though they were threatened. All they said was that it wasn't through any illegal means."

I hadn't told anyone yet either, so I guess it was a well-kept secret; this definitely scored points in the trust department for the twins. I had been their original investor, giving them a thousand galleons to start. Though I hadn't explained to my parents what I used it for, they never really asked either, so I didn't bother to. Besides, it was for a good cause., which reminded me that I had to visit them.

"Speaking of the twins," I broke the sudden silence, "Mind if we go visit them?"

"Sure thing, I was looking to get a job there while I waited anyways," came the enthusiastic reply, "Besides, their shop is loads of fun."

I wondered what he was waiting for, but decided not to ask just yet, he seemed to not want to tell and I didn't want to push him for it. He'd tell me if he wanted to, and if he didn't, that was fine with me too. I had secrets as well, so it wasn't a big deal. We walked a few minutes to the shop, which was actually _full _of people, both old and young alike. Though of course there were more youngsters there, I was still surprised to see someone who looked remotely Dumbledore-like in age browsing through the shelves.

"HARRY!" cried one of the twins, I was unsure of who exactly.

"RON!" greeted the other.

They both moved through the crowd and gave us each a hug. They were a lot taller than I, and a bit taller than Ron, and both were identical as ever. They looked a bit heavier than last time I saw them, but they were still wiry, no doubt they gained a few pounds from having a lot more galleons in their pockets.

"What brings you two here-"

"-to this part of town?" finished the other, I still couldn't place who was who.

"I was just wandering around and bumped into your brother here, who I believe wanted to have a word with you. Also, could you please tell me which one of you is which because this is driving me a bit crazy," I pleaded.

They both laughed and high-fived each other before pointing and simultaneously saying the other's name.

"Fred!"

"George!"

"Forge"

"Gred!"

"Get it? Good now-" said Fred.

"-what was it you wanted-" continued George.

"-to talk to us about-"

"-dear younger brother?" finished Fred, or was it George? Crap.

"Well..." Ron scratched his head as he lowered it, "I was... wondering if you could give me a job.. temporarily of course..." he mumbled.

The twins looked at each other, "Gee, I dunno..." said George, "What do you think Gred?"

"I'm not so sure either Forge," replied Fred.

"But I'm you're brother!" Ron exclaimed suddenly.

We were momentarily interrupted as a few customers asked for the prices and descriptions of some items before the twins turned back to us. Grinning they told him that they could probably find something for him to do and that he should come back the next day, since I was with hanging out with him at the time and they didn't want to take him from me right then and there. They both gave me a wink. Taking me aside as Fred talked to Ron about his employment, George told me that I could have "whatever you want, Harry, it's on the house. This was all made possible because of you, and we're not going to forget that!"

I told him it was no big deal and was a sound investment, receiving a clap on the back and a wide smile in return.

"Good man, Harry. Now if you'll excuse me and Fred, we have work to do." With that they bid us good day and went off to other parts of the store, answering questions and giving a few warnings to some people.

We looked around the store for a bit, but there was just too many people so we decided to just come back another day. Squeezing ourselves out, we marveled at how successful their business was going, though I did pity their competitors just down the street, Gambol & Japes. The Weasley twins were probably going to run them out of business in a few more years, maybe even months, if they kept at it.

Walking around some more, my stomach grumbled and I realized that it was about lunchtime. Asking if he was hungry, which I should have already known the answer to, Ron and I looked for a place to eat. We eventually sat down at a small, nice-looking restaurant called The Hungry Horntail -- a five-foot tall, moving, and fire-breathing Hungarian Horntail replica stood atop the restaurant's entrance. Ordering our food, I decided to ask him about when he said he was waiting for something.

He turned a slight shade of red at this and couldn't look me in the eye as he played with his fork, obviously debating whether or not to tell me -- this increased my curiosity immensely.

"Well, I was going to tell you when I got a reply back and if I had gotten it or not... but I guess... well... I applied for.." and he mumbled the next few words and the din in the restaurant was enough that I didn't quite catch it.

Our food had arrived, however, and he proceeded to stuff his mouth, no doubt a tactic for him to not speak. Eating in silence, and my curiosity inflamed, my mind went into overdrive trying to think of what he could have possibly applied for. Perhaps he applied for an Auror position, he had said he was interested before. No, that wasn't it. He hadn't done well in Potions, getting only an A on his OWL, and thus not qualifying him for the NEWT level -- an Auror career prerequisite. Perhaps other Ministry work then? It was possible, though I doubted it because he had seen how long it had taken his father to get to where he was now, and I'm sure he didn't want to wait that long. He wasn't that good at teaching so he couldn't have applied for a teaching position at Hogwarts, not to mention his grades weren't exactly the best -- except in DADA though, but that post was already filled. He was not going to apply for any job that required intense research or study either, so that was out of hte question. That left only one possible career: professional Quidditch. I grinned, I knew that was it. I'd look into the matter later, but for now I enjoyed his company.

When the bill came up he reached to pull out his money but I refused for him to pay a single Knut. After all, I had suggested lunch, besides I wanted to treat him. He thanked me, though he turned a deeper shade of red, as he often did when someone did something generous to him. Ron was embarrassed about his wealth, though I and many others had already told him before that it didn't matter to any of us. Friends are friends after all. Yes, money mattered to me, but that didn't mean I didn't make friends with or care about people who weren't as wealthy.

"Well, I gotta go, no doubt mum's got a few chores for me to do already.." he trailed off as we walked out of the restaurant, our bellies full.

I nodded, "Alright then, Ron. We should get out more often, you know? Now that we're adults and all... well, I'm about to be anyway," I told him.

"Yeah, that would be great mate," he said, "Oh, listen. My family wants to, you know, officially celebrate my entering into adulthood and everything. They're throwing a dinner party of sorts this weekend, and I was hoping maybe you could make it?"

I thought about it for a moment, I didn't think I'd be busy this weekend, so I agreed. After telling me to be at the Burrow on Saturday at around seven, he left. I watched as his his mess of red hair bobbed in a crowd of people before disappearing. There was a lot more commotion now as more people started to bustle through the Alley. Still not feeling any particular desire to head home, I continued to walk around the Alley, heading towards the Leaky Cauldron. I stopped in front of the Quidditch Quality Supplies store again, a thought suddenly coming to me. Brilliant.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The next day I headed back to Gringotts, where I met Griphook in his office. He handed me the two cards and two different sets of lists.

"Mister Potter, here are your Gringotts Banking Cards. They will work almost anywhere in the world, even for muggle transactions. The current exchange rate at the time of the transaction will be used to determine the money released from your accoount, of course," he explained, "these cards are keyed to your specific magical signature. They will work for you and for you alone, unless you allow someone else to handle the card. This is in case you wish for your House Elf, for instance, to make a purchase for you. In order to key another being to use the card, you must tap it with your wand and say that you grant access to that person. To remove access, just say the same thing. Either way, you will be the permanent owner of the cards, please do be careful with who you give access to.

"As for security purposes, this card is nearly impossible to duplicate without some serious knowledge of goblin magic, and even then there are special spells that have been cast to make even those proficient in it have a lot of difficulty in completely and perfectly duplicating the enchantments correctly to have a working and usable card. Further, there are some strong tracking charms placed on the card that are activated once someone who is not keyed to it tries to activate it. Upon activation, the Department of Magical Law Enforcement will be informed, and the card will be locked from access to your accounts. This charm only lasts a few days, however, and is usually undetectable by wizards and witches due to the nature of the goblin magic involved. There is no guarantee, however, that the card will stay with said suspect or criminal. In the unlikely event that this should occur, you must return here and request that another card be issued, and you must again pay the creation fee," said the goblin, I nodded in response.

"Those are the two lists that you requested, sir. The first list on top there is the list of properties for sale in the London area, both magical properties and potential muggle properties. There are certain Ministry restrictions after all with the purchase and incorporation of muggle homes into the Wizarding world, and some of the homes there are muggle ones that comply with these regulations. The next list has the top twenty properties in Britain, ranked by property value. In order to gain access to these properties you must have a goblin present, in your case I will most likely be accompanying you," he continued, and I nodded again. "Good, now that that's over with, when did you want to go and see these homes, sir?"

"Well, I was hoping to start today, but I think I'll go tomorrow. I have some other business to attend to today that only just recently came up," I said, carefully tucking the cards away in my pocket.

Griphook nodded, "Very well then, mister Potter, I shall see you tomorrow. I am at your service."

Again he bade me farewell and I thanked him for his help before leaving. I still had a few dozen galleons on me, but I didn't want to spend it just in case. I realized that with the banking cards, however, I would need some type of holder for them, so I went to the nearest accessories store and bought myself the highest-quality Wizarding wallet. I didn't realize how handy they were until I got one, because the also had a large pouch attached for which to carry any galleons around, with a maximum capacity of 10,000 galleons, which was well more than enough for pocket change. It also had cardholders, which was why I bought them, and protective enchantments on them so that I was the only one who could use it. The shopkeeper went to great lengths to ensure that I had the best in protective spells and enchantments on it, as well as their best quality. This also provided me the opportunity to test out the banking card, which worked wondrously. One other perk of the wallet was that it was magically attached to me in that if anyone were to try to take it, it would fly about a foot before being 'stuck' as it is anchored to whatever pocket I place it in. Several other pouches and pockets allowed for storage of other items, all this while the wallet looked like any other normal muggle wallet. Ah, the wonders of magic.

I then went to a rather upscale restaurant down the Alley, where I was to have lunch with an old family friend. I had only just gotten there when I saw him and, waving him over, I observed him. It had been years since I last saw Jeremy Hoffsink, manager of the Chudley Cannons after Dorkins was removed from the post. He was assistant-manager back when I last met him.

He was a pretty big man, probably about the Wealsey twins' height, but stockier and he did look quite seasoned. Several scars were visible on his face, whether from fighting or from his Quidditch playing days I may never know. He greeted me with a handshake and a smile, which I returned, and we started talking after we ordered.

"Blimey, Harry! You've grown quite a lot since I last saw you. I remember when you were still a lil' pup, wide-eyed and shy and all that. How've ya been? How're the folks?" he said, his voice a bit rough but friendly and energetic.

I grinned, "I'm a big dog now, Remy. I've been doing well, just graduated from Hogwarts actually. I was first-string seeker for Gryffindor you know, team captain too my sixth and seventh years," which he congratulated me on, "My parents are swell. Dad's still working the businesses and all, but he's much more laid back now. Mother is the same, though she has always done much less with the businesses and more of her own research and studies. She's been helping some of the researches in the Department of Mysteries these past few years, though I think she's doing some of her own research right now. Something about newer and better wand cores, which should be exciting. How about yourself? I hear your manager of the Cannons now!" I exclaimed, gaining a toothless grin from the old dog before me.

"Good to hear, good to hear. And yer right there, they just made me manager a few weeks ago. A shame that they let go of Dorkins, he was a good man. But I've been doin' a'ight, gettin' by, though I do admit it was gettin' a bit dull. Now that I have the reins things should pick up quite a bit don'tcha think?"

"Definitely," and with that lunch was served and we talked about small things, unimportant things. It was after we were done eating that I finally got to the point as to why I had asked him for lunch. The food had been cleared and the bill paid when I started to talk about the team again.

"So Remy, how's the team look this year? I hear you've got some positions to fill as after Dorkins left some of the players supposedly opted out of their contracts and quit in protest. I imagine the owners weren't too keen on resigning them or keeping them, their show of loyalty, or in this case the lack thereof, was more than enough to show that they did not have their heart into the team's success." _Testing_.

He nodded, rubbing his face with a large, weathered hand. "Ya got that righ', as fer positions, I've gotta fill the Keeper position, two Chasers, and a Beater. I've actually gotten all the applications in from players who are interested, both amateur and professional, just waitin' for some preliminary screenin' from the assistants before I ask those who make it through that to head off to try-outs. Dependin' on the talent we got, it might be a good year or a bad one, can't tell yet."

"Well, I was hoping to ask... but, I don't know... I mean.. oh nevermind..." I trailed off, hoping he'd take it.

"What is it, m'boy? You want to try-out? I could get ya in but we already have a first-string Seeker, you'd have to be second-string for now," he said. _Here we go_.

I shook my head in response, "Oh, no, no, not me, but my friend said that he applied for the Keeper position and I was hoping that you could at least see him try-out. Just in case your assistants don't get him through the screening process, I was hoping you'd at least give him a chance. He's a good player, really skilled, and with proper instruction he could be great. He had a record number of saves as Keeper for Gryffindor our last season, set the school record for saves for a season. Not to mention he is the biggest Chudley Cannons fan I know." I knew I had him, but in case he needed a bit more to prod him I was set to buy the team new brooms if needed. That would help alleviate the costs, especially since the Cannons weren't doing so well as a team and many of their backers and investors had pulled out. Money would be tight for the next few seasons unless they started winning more games. "Besides, you remember how Oliver Wood turned out fresh out of Hogwarts?"

Jeremy nodded and did think on it, rubbing his chin as his eyes focused at a spot on the table. He "hmmm'd" for a few minutes before he finally nodded, "Well, alright, I'm not guaranteein' him a spot, but I will guarantee a chance fer him to try out and show his stuff. If he's as good as you say he is, he shouldn't have too much of a problem."

Beaming, I thanked him and told him that I'd come and see the try-outs as well as a few games this season if I could, giving him Ron's name. Giving me a wave in farewell he left, and I couldn't have been happier that my mission had been a success. I could get used to this life, the wonders that influence, contacts, and money can bring you are truly limitless. I could just imagine the reaction I'd get from Ron once I broke to him the news. I left the restaurant smiling and, not really paying any heed to my surroundings, resulting in me bumping into a few people, I headed home.

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**A/N: **That's all for now! I hope you like it. I welcome any comments and criticisms, but please do make them constructive or at least helpful. The other characters will be coming in play, and the plot will eventually begin to unfold. Stay tuned.


	2. Chapter 2

**Money Isn't Everything  
**

_Chapter 2  
_

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_**DISCLAIMER: **_Harry Potter is owned by JK Rowling, not me. This is all done purely for enjoyment, no profit involved at all.

* * *

The weekend came soon enough, as I found myself waking early Saturday morning. And by waking I mean that I was still in bed about a half hour after I had actually returned from the land of dreams, the bed was just too comfortable to leave it at the moment.

So I lay there, not really thinking about much, perhaps half-asleep. I eventually decided that it was time to start my day and, regretfully, got myself out of bed. Grabbing my glasses from the nightstand I stumbled sleepily to the bathroom to freshen up. A few splashes of water on my face eventually took the last traces of slumber away and I was finally fully awake.

I was downstairs ten minutes later, wearing some simple but well-crafted robes. My wand-holster was at my wrist, as usual, a special item I had bought a few years ago when it became evident that placing my wand in m pocket was bound to cause problems some day. To avoid all that I decided to get a holster, of course I couldn't settle for just any holster.

I spent the better part of an hour browsing through a whole host of them before I finally came across one that was both functional and high-quality. Oftentimes the two don't go hand-in-hand, as items of higher quality may suffer for it in the functionality department as their creators focused on working to make it look good rather than work well. The holster was securely fastened to my wrist, special charms in place made it so that I was the only one who could take it off without any problems. It also was charmed to be invisible, a charm on top of which I layered with my own just in case, and it was also barely noticeable as it had been charmed to be feather-light. Other than that, it did it's job well, preventing it from being removed by any disarming or summoning spells, though of course once the wand was in my hand that was a whole different story.

"Good morning, Master Harry," our house elf, Willie, greeted me. I smiled at him as he told me that my breakfast was already prepared and waiting for me at the closest dining hall. Ah, how I would miss having a house elf. I had vowed that at my new place I would not have a house elf. Though it was somewhat of a large sacrifice to make, I wanted to experience life truly on my own. Thanking him, I ate my breakfast and was prepared to leave when I heard a very familiar cough behind me.

"You're up early on a Saturday," my mother said with a slight tone of surprise.

I turned to face her, "I was hoping to look at the properties I had narrowed down in my search. I wanted to make an offer today so that I would have a purchase hopefully within the week," I told her matter-of-factly. "Besides, I _am_ perfectly capable of getting up early when I need to."

My mother snorted slightly at this, to which I gave her as much of a scowl as I could muster at the moment, which wasn't much and apparently only made me look like I was constipated, which was completely far off from what I had been trying to convey.

"Well, as I have nothing to do today, would you mind if I joined you? I'd like to see what houses you're looking at," she asked, and I groaned inwardly at this request. I could not say no, but saying yes meant I would be delayed for some time because she was obviously not ready to go out right then and there.

"If you want to, mother." I consigned myself to wait in the foyer of the house.

Large windows that stretched to the ceiling practically dominated the outside wall, making the large ten-foot oak doors seem minuscule in comparison. Curtains matching in length hung from the ceiling, though they were hardly ever pulled. The room was very spacious, having several couches and comfortable chairs, all of which looked expensive, because they were, and all of which stood on top of marble flooring.

In the middle of all the chairs and couches was a large coffee table, which looked more like the average diner table, but lower to the ground. Below this and extending a little beyond the edges of the table was laid out an expensive tiger rug. My father was out hunting a few years ago and took down a tiger in India - there are a lot more tigers than muggles think; we wizards have just taken great lengths at hiding the majority of them so that the muggles wouldn't overpoach them. For my parents, no expense was spared in the construction, furnishing, and decorating of Potter Manor.

Rare large paintings, some of which I found questionable in artistic value, dominated the inside walls of the foyer, and a large archway opposite the front door led into the largest dining hall in the Manor. These two rooms were best utilized for big dinners and parties, which my parents often hosted now and again. Several life-size statues of our ancestors were scattered throughout the Manor, two of which were located in the large foyer.

One statue of my great great uncle Vermillion Potter, a masterful warder and curse breaker, and my great great great great grandfather, Artemius Potter, a great pacifist who wrote numerous papers and a few books on peaceful coexistence with muggles as well as the use of non-aggression when dealing with complications.

Hanging from the ceiling were several rather big crystal chandeliers, the candles on which were of course charmed to last for many years as well as to produce a light far brighter than they normally would have. Although most people would think that the room displayed such great opulence, Potter Manor was actually one of the least opulent-looking and decorated homes to be truthful. This was as simple as we could make it without looking too "middle class" as it were.

Sighing, I called for Willie to bring me some water, as my mother had already taken about fifteen minutes and she was still not ready. I had a feeling another fifteen minutes of preparation would be needed before she was 'ready to face the world,' as she had put it one day before when we were quite late to a wedding and my father had not been too pleased about the whole situation. I was nearly asleep again when my mother finally found me, and faking an annoyed tone told me to stop 'wasting time' and to 'hurry up.' This time scowling properly, we both left for Gringotts.

Griphook waved almost immediately after we arrived at the bank's special apparition point for VIPs. He had several papers in his hands as we walked over to him. He greeted us with a bow, which was required of him due to the presence of my mother, and he then proceeded to go over the homes yet again, asking which ones from the list that I had narrowed them down to, I wanted to see today.

I had been thinking all last night about the homes, carefully remembering as much as I could about each that I liked and disliked. There were five homes that I was looking at, two outside of London, one of which was really far away, and the other three within the city limits. One of them was a muggle home which could be converted since it was close to a magical neighborhood.

I had decided that I did not really want to go through the whole process of converting, though it was a beautiful home, old and with a bit of history behind it I was sure. It would just take a bit too long and would cause me some headaches with the paperwork to be filed, as there was a lot more to be done, not to mention the Ministry would have to get involved - quick note about the magical government: they work at just about the same efficiency and speed as muggle governments. They're also not truly known for quality work in some areas, and this was one of them.

I picked out the three properties that had appealed to me the most, and we first went to the closest one.

The first property had an excellent location, just off of Diagon Alley. The area was not necessarily in the shadier part of the neighborhood, but it also wasn't that good of one. I knew, however, that with the proper wards, charms, and spells, nobody would be able to enter the home without my express permission. Older families, after all, were very knowledgeable in the warding and securing department of magic, for reasons that are obvious.

It resembled my uncle Sirius' home, Grimmauld Place, though less dark-looking and possibly a little smaller from the outside, though no doubt the inside was magically expanded, as most wizards often did with their homes. True enough, upon entering there was a small hallway to go through before entering into the moderately-sized foyer. There was no furniture yet, of course, but I would deal with that at a later date once I actually got a place to put furniture in. My mother remarked that it was small and felt a bit cramped, but I thought it was alright.

There were five bedrooms, four studies, so some of them could be converted into bedrooms if the need arose. There were three full bathrooms with all the wizarding amenities, such as automatic-cleaning toilets, which flushed and cleaned your arse automatically with special spells. Nothing as crude as wiping with toilet paper, that is really one of the things that makes muggle-life seem so dirty to wizards.

The master suite was about the size of my current room. The windows were smaller and there wasn't as much closet space, but other than that it was very similar. The master bath was excellent and possibly the best-looking part of the house as it had beautiful tiled floors and walls and the ceiling was enchanted to mimic the night sky. My mother ooh'd at the ceiling and I knew she was already thinking of enchanting the master bath back at the Manor. Why they didn't think of that before, I don't know.

All in all, not bad, especially with its convenient location so close to the commercial and business hub of the British Wizarding society, but certainly no Potter Manor.

The next place, a little farther out, but still within the city, was in a nice, quiet neighborhood. The houses had similar structures, but each one was unique. I liked this one because it had a tower of sorts that poked out of the far end of the house. It made it feel like a superhero base, which I found appealing. It was larger than the apartment/condo that was the first property, but for about the same price.

There was some furniture in place, but I knew I would be chucking all the old ones out anyway and replacing them with my new stuff. I wanted it to be truly just me in the house. My mother voiced that she liked this better than the last place, it was much quieter and peaceful. I agreed that it was appealing, but I also found the hustle and bustle and pulsating life that surrounded Diagon Alley to be appealing as well, especially since I was looking to be out a lot. I was about to be a young adult after all, so a whole new world was technically opened to me - legally that is. Shhh...

Griphook took us to the last home, which was a beaut if I may say so myself. My mother gasped when we arrived at the designated apparition point. The house was modern-looking, taking a page from some muggle designs but also adding a Wizarding flair to it. This home also had a tower of sorts, the bottom of which could be used as a greenhouse as the entire bottom tower was made of glass and steel, while the top half could be used as a laboratory or a personal astronomy tower.

What made it breathtaking was that it was perched near the edge of a cliff overlooking the sea. A part of the house jutted out over the rocks beneath, and a lift actually took you from one of the rooms to the bottom of the cliff, where there was a small, private beach and a little cave.

As you can imagine, I had already thought of the many possibilities I could use with that beach, but more importantly that cave. Batman ring any bells? I was tempted to try and making it into my own lair, my secret base of operations beneath my home, just like good old Bruce Wayne. The idea, naturally, intrigued me immensely. Perhaps I had picked the other two houses just so I could see that I had other options and weighed them all, but in reality I had already chosen this home as soon as I had seen it. My mother seemed to agree that it was beautiful enough, and it was large enough for her tastes as well, though still not nearly as large as Potter Manor. It would do.

Eight bedrooms, with dozens of other rooms that could be converted if need be. There was a large library, which would come with the purchase of the home already filled with books, and with space to add more to boot. There was, of course, the tower, and the private beach and the cave. There was the breathtaking view of the ocean, though British weather would have to cooperate well enough to get the full effect, especially at sunset.

There were five bathrooms, the master suite was slightly larger than my own room at the Manor, and the master bath was big. I am not kidding when I say that the bathtub could have been a small pool, big enough for twenty, and that got my mind started on a few ideas as well. My mother loved the statues outside, as well as the grounds. They were well kept, the grass was green, and there were a good number of trees around the property as well.

"What do you think?" I asked my mother, my own mind already made up.

Lily Potter turned to me then, and in a serious tone said, "If you choose any of the other properties, I will hex you into oblivion." I grinned at her, and mother and child shared a look of wonder as they observed the house again. It really did look perfect. I already had plans for some of the empty land nearby, which I planned to buy to extend the property even further. I had always thought of having my own Quidditch pitch, complete with stands and lockers._ Pick-up Quidditch games would have a whole new meaning,_ I thought, amused.

"Mister Potter, I take it you came to a decision?" Griphook asked, raising a brow, though he was smiling. The teeth dampened the mood a bit, but I nodded. "Very well then, this property is going for six-hundred and ninety-six thousand galleons. If you want to mull it over for a bit, you have time, but I imagine that the other families will have noticed this by now.."

"I'll take it," I said as soon as I heard him, though in the back of my mind I had a feeling it was sort of a trick to get me to finally sign off on the deal, I knew that I would have settled for no other house, for I had seen what other properties Britain had to offer, and this was _the one_. "Hell, give me the bloody papers and I'll sign them right here if you want."

Griphook grinned, holding out the papers, "As a matter of fact, I do have them, sir."

My mother shook her head but wrapped her around my waist as I signed the papers, resting her head on my shoulder. I could feel a slight dampness, and I knew she was starting to tear up.

We held each other for a while as we looked at my new purchase, Griphook leaving us there to go file the paperwork and make it all official, plus I'm sure he knew we wanted to be alone for a bit. My mother finally stirred after a few minutes, wiping away tears from her eyes. "You have no idea how old this makes me feel," she said sadly, "I still remember when you were such a small little boy, you couldn't even keep your glasses on. We had to charm your glasses to stick to your face..." she smiled at the memory.

"Don't worry mum, I'll always be your son. It's not like I'm leaving you for good, after all. I'll still be in Britain, I'll still be around, just not living with you 24/7 anymore," I said softly, "I promise I'll visit often, not just holidays. It's time to let me get started on my own path."

She nodded, sniffling a bit, "Yeah, you'll always be my cute little baby boy," and she pinched my cheek. Thankfully, there was no one around to see that. I would have died of humiliation if that was done in public. Again, not that I don't love my mother, because I really do, but that display is best reserved for private occasions.

My mom wanted to go back to the Manor as she was a little too emotional to go back to Gringotts with me, not to mention she looked less than presentable after having cried for a bit. Griphook told me it would take a few days to finalize everything and file all the necessary paperwork with the Ministry. Congratulating me on getting my first place, he also said that I would be able to move in as soon as all the official documents were set, which he estimated would be done by the time Monday rolled around.

Glancing at the large clock on the wall of the bank, I noticed I had some time before I had to get ready for the dinner tonight, so I went home and took a nap, making sure to set my alarm so that I would wake up with time to spare to get ready. Dreams of the new house filtered through my head, and I smiled. The Potter Cave would look every bit as cool as the Batcave, or perhaps even better.

I was awakened by my alarm, which conveniently shook the bed and beeped annoyingly. I snoozed it, but it still kept shaking the bed, one of the reasons why my mother had gotten me the alarm. She knew that had it only made noises I would've snoozed it until nightfall, but the shaking wouldn't stop until I actually got out of bed, which I finally did with much grumbling. It was while I was in my closet looking for something to wear that I realized that Ron hadn't exactly given me a dress-code.

As it was a dinner party to celebrate coming-of-age, I assumed some formality with the robes was required, but the degree of formality escaped me. The Weasleys, though they were purebloods, were not exactly typical pureblood material and so a dinner party for them could mean either wearing your best robes or a tutu, if it struck your fancy.

Opting to go the more conservative route though, I wore a simple green and black dress robe of fine silk that went well with my eyes, the Potter family coat of arms embroidered on the upper-left chest area of the robes. I didn't want to stand out too much by wearing extremely expensive clothing, but I also didn't want to underdress, so I chose something safe. I also wore some of my nicer dress shoes reserved for special occasions, though of course I did have a number of them, I chose one of the better ones of the bunch.

Fixing my hair as best as I could - it rarely cooperated with me or anyone else for that matter - and making sure that my breath was fresh, I left the Manor.

The Burrow quickly rushed into view as I wobbled slightly from my apparition landing. I was in the middle of some corn fields, their only apparition point on the property - it was supposed to make it easy for them to see who it was and prepare themselves - and started to walk down the path that was cut through the field leading to the house.

Mrs. Weasley had apparently wasted no time in using the increase in funds to fix up the Burrow, and already there was some construction going on at the first floor. There were also a few changes that made it look slightly more stable, but it still resembled a home put together by gluing different rooms from different homes into one. I could only imagine what Mrs. Weasley was having built, no doubt she wouldn't stop there however.

There were lights all over, and bright lights were emanating from the garden in the back, which told me that that was where the main festivities were going to take place. Several people had just gotten to the front door, having arrived a few minutes before me, as I finally reached the edge of the corn field. The door remained open as the people filed in, and I saw the familiar face of Mr. Weasley at the door.

"Ah, Harry! So good of you to come, we're about to start, only a few more people left to arrive," he hailed as I walked up to him, shaking his hand, "Everyone is out back in the garden, you know where it is."

I held up the package in my hands and asked where I could put the gift. Raising an eyebrow at me as he eyed the package, he told me to place it on the dinner table in the kitchen. Sure enough, there was a pile of presents already there, and I wondered just how many people were going to be at the party, and more importantly who. I imagined the majority would be students from Gryffindor, perhaps a few from out of House. Ron wasn't exactly friends with more than a handful of people outside of Gryffindor.

There was a lot of noise coming from the open doorway that connected the kitchen to the backyard, and the bright lights illuminating the outside were streaking in through the doorway and the windows, brightening up the kitchen as well.

Stepping out, my eyes adjusted to the glare of what seemed like a dozen spotlights hovering in the air. There were about a dozen tables or so grouped together on one side of the yard while the other side had seats arranged in front of a large drinking pond for birds. Most of the tables were full already with only a few chairs empty here and there. I noticed Ron at one of the tables and, recognizing me, he waved me over enthusiastically; he had saved me a seat at his table.

Grinning, I scanned the faces of the people present and noticed that I knew most of them, only some of them personally however, the rest were either acquaintances or people I had heard about. There were the Weasleys, of course, and I was actually surprised to see them all present.

A few other redheads were there too, with some resemblances to the Weasleys, which meant they must have been extended family. There were a lot of ex-Gryffindors. The Patil twins, Seamus Finnigan, Dean Thomas, Lavender Brown, Lee Jordan, Romilda Vane, Neville Longbottom, and even Colin Creevey. There were maybe three or four Hufflepuffs, two Ravenclaws, and no Slytherins - surprise, surprise.

"Good to see you mate! Glad you could make it!" Ron beamed, getting up and giving me a clap on the back.

I congratulated him, "Officially of course, since this is your _official_ celebration of your entrance into the adult world of Wizarding society."

He nodded and thanked me. I looked around the table and greeted everyone, receiving greetings back in return. Seamus and Dean were at the table as well as Luna Lovegood (which was a surprise) and Lavender Brown, and... Hermione? I believe that was her name. I didn't know her too well, spoke maybe once or twice a year with her, and the only time I really saw her was in class.

I actually found her intelligence quite astonishing, I was very into my studies as well and was one of the top students, but Hermione more often than not beat me and graduated with the highest honors and marks in the class. For that, I respected her, and I made a mental note to get to know her better. She looked different tonight, then again I hardly ever saw her so I couldn't really tell, but seeing that she was at the table meant that Ron was good friends with her at least. Perhaps I'd ask Ron about her sometime.

Her hair was straightened, and perhaps that was one of the biggest differences as I distinctly remember her having a mess of curly hair most of the time I saw her, which was rare. She was talking excitedly with Lavender about something while Ginny seemed interested enough in what Luna had to say. I was on Ron's left, and to my left was Ginny and then Luna. To Ron's right there was Seamus and then Dean, followed by Lavender and Hermione, completing the circle.

The guys started talking about Quidditich, which then reminded me of what I had done for Ron. I hadn't told him yet, wanting it to be a surprise, but Jeremy had gotten back to me and told me that Ron was definitely in for the official try-outs and that he would keep an especially keen eye out when he was up. Ron hadn't heard yet, but he would by tomorrow when the letters are supposed to be dispatched - I was happy for him, really, this was his big chance.

Professional Quidditch, especially for talented players, was a big way to not only gain fame but wealth as well. They were paid really well, though of course the salary depended on the size of the team and its ownership as well as its level success and the player's own talents and contributions to the team. I had no doubt that Ron would make the team, particularly more so since I put in a good word for him already.

There was a loud ringing noise as someone began to tap on their glass, causing everyone to fall silent and turn to look at the person.

"Good evening everyone!" Mrs. Weasley started, "I know you're all excited for tonight's festivities, not to mention the food that you are about to eat, so I will keep this short.." the twins broke out into applause at that, eliciting a glare from their mother, though it had no real anger behind it as she too was amused.

"Tonight we are celebrating the coming of age of my youngest son," at this Mr. Weasley cleared his throat, "_our_ youngest son," corrected the mother Weasley, causing some people to chuckle and Mr. Weasley to grin happily.

"Ron, my dear baby boy," Ron groaned at this, "You are a great son, a man of many talents, and a big heart. We love you so very much, and we want you to know that you will always be our son, no matter what, and that you are welcome at our home anytime once you finally leave it and start your own family." at this Ron blushed slightly, but I could tell that he was feeling emotional and was doing his best to hide it.

Mrs. Weasley sobbed a bit, tears rolling down her cheeks, "And... and... oh bugger! We love you and we wish you the best of luck Ronald!" she ended her speech, rushing over to Ron, who stood, and giving him what I knew was a bone-crushing hug - Mrs. Weasley was notorious for them. Everyone applauded, and I had to admit I was feeling quite proud and slightly emotional as well, but not enough to make me cry in public. It would be a cold day in hell before I did that.

Soon enough, food appeared on our plates, and we all happily dug in, chatting about trivial matters and light subjects. Quidditch was, again, the topic of main discussion among the guys, though they also started talking about what they'd been up to so far. I told them all that I had just recently bought my own place, which was responded with much enthusiasm and curiosity - I promised everyone an invite to my house-warming party.

I hadn't even planned on having one, but the girls insisted that it was necessary, and I'm sure my parents would have agreed. It was a good idea, I admitted, and besides, how could I turn down an excuse to party?

Ginny seemed quite shy to talk to me, I hadn't really spoken to her much, but after a few minutes she finally got comfortable enough to talk. Boy did she have a lot to say, but I listened politely enough, and I actually found that I liked her.

"So where is this house of yours?" she asked me interestedly.

"Well, I'd rather not say... I'm somewhat paranoid about security and all that, it's been ingrained in me to make sure my house is very secure, but I will tell you that it has a beautiful view of the ocean and is surrounded by lovely grounds," I told her, shrugging when I spoke about security.

She tilted her head, though she didn't try to press me, I'm sure she was even more curious now.

"You're in your final year already right?" I asked her this time, breaking the short silence that had fallen between us.

Her brown eyes shifted to me and she smiled, "I'm about to be... gosh, I can't wait to finally be done with it all... though I'm not really looking forward to NEWTs. How'd you do on them by the way? Oh, and how many did you take?"

"Well, I took 10 NEWTs - Potions, Charms, Transfiguration, Defense, Herbology, Astronomy, Ancient Runes, Arithmancy, History of Magic, and Care of Magical Creatures. I didn't take Muggle Studies or Divination - and received 7 O's and 2 EE and 1 A, the two Exceeds being in Ancient Runes and History of Magic and the A from Arithmancy." Yeah, I took a lot of NEWTs, but again I wanted to learn as much as I could because not only would it be advantageous to me more knowledgeable than the people around me, it would also help to make me into a stronger, smarter Wizard.

Ginny was stunned at this, and Ron's jaw was practically on the ground - "Watch out for scupplewumps, Ronald, they'll enter your body through your mouth and eat you alive from within," Luna warned. That girl was so very strange at times.

"You took _that_ many?" Ron grimaced at the thought, not having noticed Luna's remark, not that Luna cared as she turned back to talking with the other girls.

I nodded, eating my dessert, chocolate truffle cake. Ginny smiled though, "You must be really smart, Harry, not to mention really talented too, I bet. You were really good at Quidditich too! Did you know my brother applied to try-out for the Cannons?" playing a bit with her fiery red hair, her eyes looking over at her brother, who was mid-bite through a chicken leg.

Ron's jaw was no longer working properly as he opened and closed it several times, as if he wanted to say something, but then decided to stay silent and just turn the same shade of color as his hair.

"Oh, Ron, why don't you like telling people? I'm sure you'll make it!" his sister berated him lightly.

In response, Ron mumbled something under his breath before turning to talk to Dean and Seamus to avoid the topic altogether.

Huffing, Ginny then turned to Luna and talked about the Quibbler - the magazine that Luna's father owned and operated. It was at this point that I noticed that Hermione wasn't talking, nor was she eating, but rather she seemed to stare intently at me. I noticed this from the corner of my eye, and as I turned to look at her her eyes widened and in a split second she had shifted her gaze to the food on her plate and started to eat it again.

I watched her for about a minute, wondering why she had been looking at me like that, but perhaps it was because I had told everyone my NEWT scores. Maybe she was impressed? Or perhaps surprised? Maybe jealous? though I doubted that as I knew she took 11 OWLs, all except Divination, and I knew she probably got almost all O's if not all.

With dinner over, the lights were dimmed and I was surprised to see that the dance floor was actually slightly glowing. The DJ started to blast some music, and slowly people filtered to the dance floor. A few stayed at their tables, whether still eating (like Ron, who was finally on dessert) or because they were not in the mood to dance. Ginny had gone off to dance with her boyfriend, which thankfully Ron hadn't noticed as he was busy devouring his third plate of cake - how Ron stuffed all that food into his mouth _and _managed to swallow it all was a mystery, and I wondered if magic had anything to do with it.

I watched as people danced, the effect caused by the slightly glowing dance floor intriguing me for a bit as I sat there nursing a butterbeer. When I turned I realized that Ron was finished eating and had sat back, rubbing his belly in satisfaction as he licked his lips. Shaking my head, I turned back to the dance floor, and even though it was difficult to identify anyone specifically, I did see Ginny and her boyfriend dancing quite... intimately.

Hoping that none of the other Weasleys saw it, for the sake of the poor bloke who seemed quite exploratory with his hands, I looked around the table. I noticed that Ron was finally getting up, and he asked me if I was heading over. Telling him that I would follow in a bit, I realized that it was only Hermione, Luna, and I left at the table.

Luna was staring up at the sky at something, and I followed her gaze, though I saw nothing out of the ordinary. There were only the customary stars out, twinkling brighter than back in the city of course since we were out in the country, but it wasn't any different than anywhere else. Hermione seemed unsure of herself, and my mind quickly getting into action, I caught her attention by calling her name.

She seemed surprised, and even in the dim light I could tell her eyes had widened for a second or two, just as they had earlier.

"H-Hi, Harry," she managed to say.

She always was a shy one. I realized that the reason why I didn't really get to know her was because she rarely was social. For the most part she was either studying, eating, or sleeping - I suddenly recalled Lavender mentioning that Hermione slept so early most nights, except before huge exams. I wondered how she got to know Ron well enough to be at his table tonight, and so I asked.

"Oh well, you see... there was... well..." she seemed a bit flustered, but I didn't interrupt as she tried to get a coherent sentence together. Clearing her throat, she finally said, "I was being... bullied, I guess you could say, and there were a group of Slytherins saying some horrid things. Ron, Dean, and Seamus were there, along with Lav, and Ron had come over and told them off. They ended up having a bit of a scuffle, but the Slytherins finally backed off and left as a few more Gryffindor students had rounded the corner."

So that is why she's now a close friend, I can imagine that after such an incident they would be able to foster some kind of friendship, and apparently it was a pretty close one.

"Who were these Slytherin bastards?" I asked, curious now as to who would do that. I had my suspicions, but I had no real enemies in Slytherin, perhaps thanks to my own status in society - they respected that.

"Oh it doesn't matter, really. It's all over and done with, it was no big deal," she said, pushing a stray strand of hair back.

There were a few minutes in which none of us spoke, listening only to the music and the din of people talking and laughing.

"Did you know that if you look at the stars long enough, and you speak to them, they might just hear you because you've been focusing on them for so long? My daddy says it's caused by the magic that permeates the universe around us, transmitting through a very basic form of legilimency our thoughts to the stars and theirs back to us," Luna suddenly spoke, her voice dreamy, "I haven't heard any replies back yet, but maybe I'm just not focusing long or hard enough."

Hermione and I shared a look and tried to stifle our laughter, even though it felt bad to do so, I knew that Luna wouldn't really notice nor mind if she did. She was probably used to this, after all I had heard through the grape vine with the other girls in her house. I actually felt quite sorry for her, and also made a mental note to try and get to know her a bit better as well. My father always said that friends made are better than enemies made, and a friend could always turn out to be a potential ally, especially in times of trouble. It was hard to believe that my dad used to be one of the famous Marauders, but now he seemed so reserved and not as spontaneous and carefree as he once was.

A thought suddenly struck me as the DJ started to play slower music, and I stood up immediately, surprising both Luna and Hermione - though Luna returned to her stargazing.

"Hermione, would you care to dance for a bit?" I asked, walking around to offer my arm. It would help to break the ice even further, though I steeled myself for the awkwardness at first, as well as the possibility of rejection.

She smiled, rows of perfect white teeth standing out in the relative darkness, and accepted my hand as I helped her to stand. We made our way to the dance floor and awkwardly started to dance, slowly, our bodies somewhat farther apart compared to everyone else. Perhaps it was a bad idea, but I wanted to dance and I felt bad about leaving her with just Luna for company. Besides, I had wanted to get to know her better, and this way we could talk without anyone overhearing us.

"I don't think we've properly met," I finally said, and she giggled slightly.

"No, I don't believe we have," she replied back, her voice having a mixture of nervousness and uncertainty.

"Well, I'm Harry Potter, pleased to meet you."

"I... I'm Hermione G-Granger, nice to meet you too."

We laughed and I felt the tension ease somewhat in her body. _This is awkward_, I thought, _really awkward_.

"So how'd you do on your NEWTs?" I asked her, and she seemed relieved to have something to talk about.

"Well, I took eleven NEWTs..." and she seemed ready to stop talking until I asked her how she did and what NEWT she didn't take. "Divination. Trelawney is a fraud, and the whole branch of magic doesn't hold up for me at all," she let go of my shoulder to tuck some stray hair behind her ears, "I got 10 O's and 1 Exceeds." She said the last part softly, almost as if she didn't really want to say it.

"10 O's is still amazing, you know," I told her truthfully, "I'm quite impressed. I'd your Exceeds was only a few points away from an O."

She shook her head, "I don't think so. I had forgotten to review the Goblin Rebellion of 1722 thoroughly and I think the essay I wrote didn't cover enough specific details. I'm sure they took off most of my points from that one as that was the only question I couldn't answer thoroughly."

I laughed at that, and she gave me a funny look, almost as if she were unsure whether to be hurt or to laugh along at my amusement. "I'm sure you should've gotten an O nevertheless, but that's all in the past now, as you mentioned earlier. Any plans on the future now?"

She shrugged, "I'm... actually not sure. I have a lot of options open for me, but for now I think I'll enjoy some time away from studying and work for once."

"Excellent idea, I had been planning the same thing, though I daresay I'm not really up to looking for a job for a long while," especially with so much more to do besides work, I didn't mention. "Perhaps you could come with me and Ron sometimes and we can go and take a night, or several nights, on the town."

"I'd like that," she replied quickly, a smile forming as we continued to dance and talk.

* * *

**A/N: **Reviews appreciated. I know it's a bit slow, but things speed up soon enough, just keep reading! :)


	3. Chapter 3

**Money Isn't Everything  
**

_Chapter 3  
_

* * *

_**DISCLAIMER: **_Harry Potter is not mine, nor anything in the Potter universe.

* * *

I bounced into the kitchen and out into the dining hall, stopped, did a bit of a jig, and thrust my hand straight up above me in what, I hoped, suggested that I had succeeded at something - or gone incredibly bonkers, as my father later put it.

I was doing this because in my hand were the official papers of ownership: The Deed to the property as well as the Ministry approval and the Gringotts approval of the sale. My parents looked at me with first bewildered and then amused expressions, big smiles spreading across their faces as they paused in eating their breakfast to congratulate me.

"You've got your own place now, son, you're officially a man," my dad said proudly.

"Not yet," my mother quipped, feigning annoyance, "He's still underage for a few more days."

I rolled my eyes as I placed the papers carefully on the dining table. Sitting down to my father's right, and across from my mother, I began to wolf down my breakfast, in-between talking excitedly about my plans for the house.

"Whoa, whoa, slow down there son," my dad said, blinking several times, "Did you say you were building a _secret lair_?"

Woops. I wasn't supposed to mention that part of my plans. It was supposed to be a secret after all, what's a secret lair if it wasn't a secret, but I had let my excitement get the best of me. I must have looked like I had been caught red-handed doing something illegal because my parents shared another look of amusement.

"Don't worry dear, we won't tell anyone, and it's perfectly alright. I mean, it _is_ your house, your property, you should be able to do with it what you will," my mother said, "Now, that doesn't mean I won't question the necessity or logic of having a secret lair with which you can begin your supposed vigilante superhero antics."

I dropped my head, still smacking myself mentally for the slip-up. _Great, Harry, excellent job keeping plans for your secret lair a secret for a good hour_.

"Well, whatever the case, now that I know about it I want to see it when it's done. No excuses," my dad interrupted my train of thought, grinning and looking twenty years younger, a slight mischievous glint in his eye. Perhaps there still was a Marauder somewhere deep down inside the serious exterior that he had on at what seemed like all times now.

It was as if something was wrong, but I didn't ask of course, because I didn't think it concerned me. If it did, my parents would have mentioned it, and besides, my dad was James Potter, head of the Potter Family - if he couldn't deal with something, I certainly couldn't.

"Sure thing dad, and mum, when I save the world and hold a press conference, I'll give you a shout out. You'll see then," I said jokingly.

She only shook her head, muttering something about boys, as she finished her eggs.

A few minutes later, as I was finishing my own breakfast - my parents having already finished theirs and started talking about other stuff that didn't interest me - a small object zoomed into the room. It zigzagged back and forth over our heads, and even without really seeing it properly I knew what it was: Ron's owl, Pigwidgeon. Well, Pig for short that is.

He was tiny for an adult owl, and wasn't exactly the smartest one on the block, which coupled with his boundless energy made him annoying. His current state of excitement was most probably due to his succeessful delivery of the letter he had. Well, _near _successful delivery, that is, for I hadn't gotten the letter yet. My seeker reflexes helped me to grab him in mid-air, eliciting a surprised but still very much happy hoot.

"Pig, hold still!" He was squirming around in my hands, his little chest moving up and down rapidly from his exertion. Hooting happily, he remained relatively calm for a few seconds as I quickly untied the letter from his tiny leg. He then tried to take off almost immediately, but I snatched him back just as he was about to get out of reach. "No, Pig, _stay_. Behave."

Cocking his head to one side, he allowed me to put him on my shoulder, where he kept still... somewhat. He ruffled his feathers every few seconds and moved around a little, but at least he wasn't flying around the room and annoying everyone else. My father would probably blast the poor owl into oblivion had he kept doing that.

I opened up the letter and unfolded the parchment, smiling as I saw Ron's quite messy handwriting - mine was not much better, but it was at least an improvement over Ron's. His looked as if a right-handed troll had tried to write with its left hand, blindfolded.

_Dear Harry,_

_How are you mate? Hope all is well. Anyways, guess what? I just got accepted to try-out for the Chudley Cannons! _(Ron had underlined the name five times)_. I know I should have told you earlier, but I wanted it to be a surprise, and well... I didn't want you to see me as a failure if I didn't make it. Whatever though, I'm in, for try-outs at least, and I think I'll do real well. I've been practicing non-stop since I got the letter, and Dean and Seamus and my brothers are actually really impressed with my Keeper skills. I hope that the Cannons manager will be impressed as well, I can't wait to help turn that team around and help us start winning some championships! The try-outs are in a few days, and the wait is killing me! I'll keep you updated, Harry, and I'll be sure to send you some free tickets to my games if I make it. You sure you don't want to be a professional Quidditch player? We could use a decent Seeker... anyways, cheers!_

_Your best friend,_

_Ron_

_P.S. I still can't believe you got me that broom, Harry, but I want to thank you once again because I know that this problem will most definitely help me improve. You're the best mate a poor bloke like me could have!_

I reread the letter, amused but proud. Ron was finally getting his due, and I was so sure he would get the position I had bought him a specially made broom for Keepers that would definitely help him keep the quaffle out of his team's hoops. I hadn't mentioned to Ron that I had spoken to Jeremy to make sure he was definitely included in the try-outs and that I had personally vouched for him, but Ron didn't need to know that.

That would most definitely taint the whole thing in his eyes, but I wanted to help him and no doubt my word had sped things up a bit for him which is always a plus. He might've waited a long while before getting a crack at professional Quidditch, especially since most other teams had young and talented Keepers already. Except the Cannons.

I thought for a moment about the coincidence that Ron's favorite team would not only have an old family friend of mine to be it's new manager, but that their players would resign from the booting of the old manager and thus open the door to Ron.

Whatever the case, I made a note to ask Jeremy when the try-outs were so that I could try to attend. I was invited after all, and I might as well see how Ron does.

The next few days passed in a blur of activity. My first order of business after acquiring my new property was to try to expand it. I had noticed that there were undeveloped and unused lands next to mine and I asked Griphook to place a few offers for me to the owners of these lands. While waiting for their replies to my offer, I hired a construction company to build me a Quidditch pitch next to my home that could seat several hundred, complete with amenities, locker rooms, and storage rooms for the necessary equipment. Throughout this time Willie helped me to move my furniture and other items into my soon-to-be new home.

The house elf had, at one point, asked if I had bought the whole of Diagon Alley in the process due to the number of times I had gone there and the number of items I had bought. I laughed, though in the back of my mind I had considered the possibility of doing that, but ultimately decided that it would be a waste of money and time - not to mention I would probably have a lot to do to run it. Besides, I didn't want to own it anyway.

Soon enough, my home was completely furnished and decorated. It was even more beautiful and inviting than before, a seemingly impossible task but one that I succeeded in doing. Everything from couches, plush chairs, and bean bags to beautiful wooden tables, ornately carved nightstands, and even marble or obsidian statues were all over. The kitchen had all the regular appliances and items needed, and it was a beautiful kitchen, one in which I could learn how to properly cook my own meals.

My parents had offered to purchase the services of a house-elf for me, as a house-warming gift, but I refused. I had vowed not to have my own house-elf, and I was going to stick to that vow. Willie was an exception, of course, since he was directly tied to my family and so had to obey my orders - not to mention the house-elf compulsion to help was near-maddening if ignored, and he really wanted to assist me so I let him.

I was outside, on the grounds, looking at my new home. The sun was already below the horizon, its last streaks of light refracting and causing the sky near the horizon to be filled with a myriad of breathtaking colors. Willie stood next to me, happy to have assisted in moving my things in and also helping me to place them where I wanted.

"It is really a beautiful home, young master Harry," he said in awe.

I nodded, "It is."

"Now is there anything else, young sir? I must be going soon to prepare your parents' supper."

I did have one more thing to ask of him that day, and that was to add his own wards to the protective ones already guarding my home. I knew that house-elf magic was very different from wizard magic in it's general make-up; their manipulation and manifestation of it was different and so house elf wards would truly provide extra protection.

He happily agreed and, about twenty minutes later, he said he was finished. He looked quite tired, but his eyes glowed with happiness and his beaming smile made him look even happier.

"Thank you, Willie. You are the best house-elf, ever," I said seriously.

He bowed his head slightly, sniffing a little, "T-Thank y-yo-you, master Harry, sir! You are most kind! But I must be going now.." I nodded and with a slight pop he had gone.

Sighing in longing to finally live in my home, I apparated over to Diagon Alley. I walked to the small catering shop that was off of the main Alley and who I had hired to cater at my house-warming slash coming-of-age party. They had come highly recommended, even Griphook knew of them, and my parents had used their services before. They were partly owned by my uncle Remus Lupin as well, part of his estate had invested in it, and it was doing quite well for itself. The higher-ups of Wizarding society quickly got word of them and their excellent catering services, and so the money was flowing in nicely for them.

"Ah, Mr. Potter, I am sure you are here to inquire about our state of readiness?" asked a man who looked to be in his late seventies, not too old but not young either, for a Wizard that is. He was standing behind the counter of the shop and was actually the manager of the small company.

I said that I was and he proceeded to pull out what looked like a ledger. Flipping through it, he stopped at one page, which I noticed had my name on it. He read it for a moment and nodded his head, "Eell we are almost ready, but there are a few more things we need to prepare, and it would be best if we prepared them the day of. They only take a few minutes to make and prepare, so you need not worry," he added the last part when I conveyed my doubts as to whether or not they can successfully pull this off.

"Excellent. I'll be back here to bring you guys in, my wards are currently in lockdown mode so I am the only one allowed entry. I'll have to grant you access for you and your workers so you can set everything up," I told him, pleased enough to smile after a long day.

After going over a few more details with him, and satisfied that it was all okay and taken care of, I finally left. The moon was already shining, a half-crescent glowing in the dark night sky as I apparated home with a slight crack.

I had not been home in the last few days, mostly because I was so busy getting my house and the grounds readied to my satisfaction that I spent almost all my time away, prompting me to rent a room out of the Leaky Cauldron for the last few nights. I could not live in my new home until I was of age, as requested by my parents, so I had to take up a room at Diagon Alley.

The manor was quiet when I got home, no doubt my parents were already in bed. I was greeted at the door by Willie, who asked if I needed anything. Hungry, I asked him to prepare a meal for me while I went to change and wash off the dirt that I had accumulated from the day's events. As I was heading up to my room, I passed my father's study and noticed that the door was slightly ajar and the light still on. Knocking, I called out my father's name, and he told me to come in.

The study was rather large, several bookcases lining two of the walls. The third wall had some diplomas, certificates and awards hanging on it. There was also a fireplace, in front of which were a few comfy chairs, a couch, and a low coffee table. There was a large bay window overlooking the grounds behind the house, though all I could see was darkness and the twinkling of one or two stars in the distance.

My father was sitting in a high-backed chair, ornately carved with runes and figures. The desk matched the chair, but the Potter Family coat of arms was carved neatly into the middle of the front of the table.

My attention turned to my father, who looked really tired. Dark bags hung from below his eyes and he seemed older, as if something had been taxing him these past few days. Worried for him, I asked if he was alright, sitting down and making myself comfortable in one of the chairs in front of his desk. He was busy reading something and I noticed there were several stacks of paper, about half-an-inch high each, on his desk. Some of them were in other peoples' handwriting, but I noticed that other papers strewn about had the distinct penmanship of my father.

"Alright?" my father said, annoyed, "Do I look alright to you?"

I kept quiet, I had seen him like this only a few times before, and those times were when things were troubling him deeply.

After a few moments of silence, he eventually spoke again, this time his tone had softened, "Sorry, Harry. It's been a long day..."

"It's okay, dad. Mind if I ask what's wrong?" I leaned forward in my chair, trying to catch his eye - he was still reading.

He shook his head, "Not now, son, not yet. It may just be a passing thing, and for now does not concern you."

_So does that mean it could concern me in the future? _I wanted to ask, but I didn't want to interrupt him from his reading anymore and risk irritating him again.

"Okay then, if there's anything I can do to make you feel better or to help, I'm here for you dad." I stood up, saw that he nodded, and left. I was sure that he was only half-listening to me, if at all even, as he was so engrossed in his reading. I had a feeling that whatever was happening was big, and I hoped and prayed that my father would be able to work it out.

The next day, after breakfast, I asked Willie if my parents were home.

"Only the missus is here, sir, she is outside in the gardens," he said, before vanishing with a pop to do whatever it is that he did in-between being called on by us.

I walked out, and sure enough my mother was lying down on a patch of grass in the midst of several flower beds, her red hair looked like it was on fire as the sunlight reflected off of it. Reaching her, I sat down in front of her, cross-legged.

"Morning Harry dear," she said somewhat absentmindedly as she picked one of the flowers, a pink lily, and smelled it. She sighed, rubbing the lily's petals.

"Morning mum... do you know what's troubling dad?" he asked her, hoping that maybe she could shed some light on the matter.

She opened her mouth but then closed it, shaking her head, her red hair flailing around wildly. "No, dear. It's best if you didn't know, and I ask that you think nothing of it. This is just a phase, something troublesome has come up, but it's nothing that your father and I can't handle. Please think no more of it."

I sighed this time, but nodded, "Yes mother."

She smiled, revealing rows of perfectly straight and very white teeth, "Excellent. Willie tells me you're done with the house," I confirmed with a nod and a smile of my own, "and that you've built a regulation-size Quidditch pitch with seating for a large number of people." I nodded, a bit embarassed, "Expecting to host any tournaments I'm unaware of?"

I hadn't thought of that, really, I had only wanted to play around with my friends. Now that she mentioned it, however, I thought it would be a brilliant idea, though I would have to check with the Ministry to see if there's anything I need to do before I host a tournament, a Quidditch tournament too. I was sure there were, but then again I hadn't known anyone else to host any of their own Quidditch tournaments or games outside of Hogwarts and the professional Quidditch League. "No, mum... I hadn't thought about that, honestly."

Nodding slowly, she put the pink lily on her lap, playing with it with her hand as she looked at me thoughtfully. "So what now then?"

I shrugged, "No idea, mum. I'm playing it by ear, though I was thinking of getting started on my secret lair."

Her laugh rang in my ears, a beautiful sound. "You know, it won't be much of a secret if you keep talking about it."

I turned slightly red, muttering under my breath. When my mother asked me what I was saying I shook my head, "Nothing, mother, nothing at all."

Eyeing me suspiciously, but smiling nonetheless, she asked if she could see the house before the party, which was in two days.

"Nope. No can do mother dearest, the wards are up full strength, I'm the only one allowed through at the moment. I want it to be a surprise to everyone, besides it would be more fun to see everyone's faces, including yours, when I finally unveil it to everyone for the first time."

"Have you sent out invitations yet?"

"Yep, sent them yesterday. I didn't send you guys one because I wanted to ask you personally, of course, plus I knew you'd be there anyway," I said, earning a quick rap to the side of the head.

"Doesn't mean you couldn't invite us formally! I wanted to see the invitations too..." my mother frowned.

"Sorry..." rubbing my head where she had hit me, "I think I have a copy somewhere on me... Ah! There it is!" I had found it in one of the many pockets of my robe.

The long white envelope, had a red ribbon wrapped around it and the Potter seal, the family coat-of-arms, keeping it closed. Breaking the seal, my mom unfolded the letter. In gold-colored ink, the letter read:

~** **You have been cordially invited **~**

**to the Coming of Age and House-Warming**

** party for Harry Potter.**

** Date: July 31, 1997**

** Time: 7:30PM**

** Place: *See note below  
**

** Attire: Formal**

_*Note: Beginning at 7:30PM the day of, this card _

_will activate and act as a portkey to the location._

_Once you are ready to attend, hold the invitation_

_and tap it with your wand, saying "time to go"_

_at the same time. You will be able to apparate_

_out at any time when you are ready to leave my home._

Looking up at me, she gave me a questioning look, no doubt because of the extra security precaution I had taken to not disclosing the whereabouts of my new abode. I turned my head slightly and shrugged, "Can't be too careful."

"Who did you invite? And how many?" she asked, leaning back a bit, her hands palm-down on the ground and her arms straight, holding up her upper body.

I thought for a moment, "Well, there's immediate family, which is you and dad of course. Then there was uncle Remus and aunt Tonks, then uncle Sirius and aunt Serena. Ron, of course, and the rest of the Weasleys were sent an invitation. I imagine they'll be bringing their significant others, even Ginny," this elicited a grin from my mother (the two redheads were very much like sisters when they were together).

"And I sent out a general invitation to everyone who had been in my year as a Gryffindor. Of course I also sent an invitation to the other _esteemed_ families. The rest of the Blacks, the Dumbledores, the Snapes, the Diggorys, the Crouches, the Lestranges, and father suggested I invite the Minister and other high-ranking officials over as well. Oh, the Malfoys also got an invitation," at this my mother's expression visibly darkened.

"I see. Why them, exactly?" she asked.

I wasn't sure why she didn't like them, but the Malfoys weren't that bad, at least not from what I'd seen. Sure, Draco had his... somewhat evil tendencies, but he had never done anything to me and they were of roughly the same social status as we were, wealth and power and all. I told her that, and she gave a brief but sharp nod at that, and then changed the subject. She asked if I had warded the property yet.

I told her that it had come already warded, though of course I reworked the magical entry signatures so that it would recognize only mine for now. Then Willie added some elf wards to it," my mom commented that that was a great idea, "And I was going to study warding and put up some of my own later on. Perhaps I'll talk to Bill Weasley about that, he's a curse breaker for Gringotts after all and should know all about protection spells and other defense magics, especially wards. Maybe you could put some up that you know?" She agreed.

"Well, I must be off now, dear. I promised Tonks and Serena that we'd all do something together today, and it's about time that I go meet up with them." She stood and, giving me a kiss on my forehead, told me to stay out of trouble. I shook my head, grinning as she left. Stay out of trouble. Riiiight.

I apparated to the Burrow later that day, deciding that I'd pay a surprise visit. The house was looking much bigger and much more believably stable this time around. It looked like the remodeling was going well, and no doubt all the Weasleys were happy about it. As I approached, I saw what looked to be an orange-furred kneazle snoozing out by the front porch of the house. _I didn't know they got a kneazle... maybe it's Ginny's? _I thought as I passed it, one of its eyes opening and looking me over before it decided that I wasn't a threat and it went back to its afternoon snooze.

Knocking on the door, I waited a minute or two before the youngest Weasley opened it, letting loose a short gasp of surprise.

"Harry!" she cried, bowling me over as she launched herself at me.

Hugging her back, I greeted her in return. She seemed really happy about something.

"How's the new house? We got your invitations, they were so well done," she said quickly, "though we were wondering, or mostly I was wondering, about the need for all these secrecy about the location and all that. Someone trying to kill you?" she asked jokingly.

I gave her a sly grin, "Perhaps."

Arching an eyebrow at me and twisting her mouth in what looked to be both confusion and intrigue, she opened the door wider and waved for me to go in.

"Ron'll be glad you're here. Hermione's driving him bonkers what with all the books she brought along with her. Dean and Seamus are over too, they're all out back playing Quidditch... well, except for Hermione of course. She's tanning..." Ginny led me out to the back, passing by several new doorways.

The rest of the 'old' part of the house looked newer too, redone or perhaps cleaned more thoroughly. "... with her nose deep in a book," Ginny added.

Sure enough, about a few hundred feet away out by the small Quidditch area, Hermione Granger was lying down on a large beach towel in a two-piece suit, a large book hovering over her head - _levitation charm, nice_. She looks quite... attractive. She was pale, but not ivory, and she was nearer the skinnier side of body types. She was also, even from this distance, a bit curvier than he would have thought her to be.

Ginny seemed to notice that I was... well, yeah I _was_ checking out Hermione Granger. Grabbing my hand, she pulled me over, which broke my train of thought suddenly. My gaze finally drifted up to the people on the brooms, and sure enough they were playing a smaller version of a Quidditch game. As they got closer, Harry saw Dean and Seamus, the twins, Ron, Neville, Bill and Charlie.

It was also then that I noticed that there was someone else next to Hermione, who was also in a two-piece. She was very slender, and much paler than Hermione was, but very beautiful - I couldn't help but look at her, and it seemed as if there was some sort of magical attraction. She was really attractive. Unlike Hermione, she was not reading a book, but was actually watching the boys play Quidditch.

Ginny yet again broke me out of my trance-like state as I managed to tear away my gaze at her.

"Bonjour Ginie," the pale girl, who looked to be not much older than Harry, said with a distinct French accent, "Oo is this?"

"Hey Fleur. Harry, this is Fleur. Fleur, meet Harry," Ginny grinned at my reaction, I was trying very hard not to look to much at her.

"'ello 'arry," she pronounced it 'arrie', "My name is Fleur Delaceur."

"H-H-Hi. My n-name is Harry P-Potter, pleased t-to meet you," I stuttered slightly, slapping myself mentally for having done so, as I stretched out my hand.

She propped herself up with her elbow and shook it, though her movements caught my eye and I couldn't help but glance over. She seemed not to mind, in fact she seemed happy that I was, and I was very confused about the matter. _Damnit Harry! Get a hold of yourself you fool!_ I berated myself, my fists were clenched tight as I tried to avoid looking at her.

Ginny brought me closer to the pitch, thankfully, and she whispered into my ear, "She's half-veela, don't worry about it. Bill wasn't too comfortable when she tried it out on her brothers, but she said she was only having a bit of fun and she does love Bill very much."

I turned to Ginny and gave her a questioning look.

She nodded, "Yeah, they're engaged actually. The wedding is in a few weeks once Bill is able to go on a long enough leave since they want to have a month-long honeymoon somewhere in the Bahamas I think," she scrunched up her face in thought, "Yeah, Bahamas."

"OI! HARRY!" the familiar voice of Ronald Bilius Weasley made me look up to see him flying down towards me, followed by everyone else. He was covered in sweat, as it was a rather warm afternoon, and his breathing was a bit ragged, but he was in high spirits. "Well this is a surprise, mate! I know you've missed me terribly, but I mean you could have at least told us you were coming so I could've had dinner ready and worn my best robes.."

I gave him a slight push and succeeded in making him lose his balance enough to fall of his broom. The new broom that I bought him looked splendid, it was jet-black and sleek looking, with silver straddles and a sick-looking tail-end.

"OW! What was that for?" he yelled, though he laughed along with everyone else.

"Really, Ron, great to see you too mate. And for the record, I did miss your company," I said, grinning as I helped him up and gave him a brotherly hug.

"Hello everyone!" I said, waving at the others who were all still on their brooms.

"Harry, why'd you have to give Ron that broom?" Neville said, looking dreadfully tired and practically swimming in sweat.

"Yeah, mate, none of us have been able to score a bloody goal yet," Seamus added.

Harry shrugged and gave a thumbs up to Ron, who grinned sheepishly as he got back on his broom, "Yeah... well at least it shows that I've still got the touch."

Neville threw the quaffle at him then, and Ron easily avoided it with a slight tug on the broom.

"See what I mean? The bloody broom is amazing with lateral movement," Neville groaned, wiping the sweat off of his brow with his arm, also covered in sweat.

I rolled my eyes, "It isn't a special Keeper broom for nothing, Nev. Anyways, sorry to interrupt your game..."

"Nah, it's alright. We're about done anyway," Seamus waved his hand nonchalantly, "I'm pooped."

Everyone agreed, except Ron, "You're all a bunch of whiners..." he replied. This time, Seamus pushed him over forcefully.

As everyone was heading in to freshen up and change - Ginny went inside to change into her swimsuit and join the other two girls, she had apparently just gotten home from some shopping with her mother - I pulled Bill over.

"What is it, Harry?" he asked, still sweating up a storm.

Like any of the other Weasley boys, he was taller than me, and so I had to look up to see his face.

"I was wondering if you could help instruct me on some protective wards and stuff, and I was also hoping you could, if possible, set up some wards around my new house," I asked, hopeful.

"Oh, right. Congrats on the new place, by the way!"(I thanked him in return) "As for the warding, sure I'll do it. I could cover the basics now and maybe a bit of the more complex parts tomorrow if you want, I'm free most of the day, and we can even do it the day of your party, though not for long. That's all the free time I'll have I'm afraid," he frowned slightly.

"I've got to head back to Egypt the day after to finish the work I have there. Gringotts has me working three projects at once, crazy really what they're trying to squeeze out of me before I go on a rather long vacation. Speaking of which, you've met my wife-to-be I see."

I tried to prevent myself from turning red, but there are just some things you can't fully control in your body. "Yeah, I did. She's great," I said quickly, and he nodded, giving a small smile as he looked over at her. She was now in between Hermione and Ginny, the former still reading the book and the latter just lying out in the sun, eyes closed.

"I'll see you in a few minutes, Harry, I seriously need to get changed and clean. We can talk more later," and with that he headed off to the house.

Walking over to the three girls, a thought came to my mind and I quickly went over next to Hermione, who didn't notice at all that I was there so engrossed was she with her reading.

Transfiguring a rock into sunglasses and an even larger one into a nice hat, I donned them and with a spell made my facial hair grow several inches. Satisfied, I knelt down about two feet away from her and spoke, "Hey pretty lady, nice book ya got there. Whatcha readin?"

To say she was surprised would have been the understatement of the year. She not only yelped but she jumped and tried to get up, which only made her hit her head on the book hovering right over her. This caused not only the book to fall but also for her to fall back down and grab her head, but she opened her eyes wide as she looked at me.

Fleur and Ginny had opened their eyes, wondering what the commotion was, and shrieked too. Suddenly, wands were out, and I raised my hands up as I realized that they had seriously taken my guise as a real one.

"Girls, girls! Calm down, it's only me, Harry! I swear," I said, and at this all three gave me bewildered looks, and then threw nasty glares at me. Their wands had lowered, thankfully, though the glares hadn't stopped and I walloped myself mentally for that slip in judgment.

I could have very nearly died, or worse. Restoring my normal look, everyone visibly relaxed more, but Hermione was still glaring daggers at me, though because I was so close to her I also noticed that she was blushing furiously and was an interesting shade of red.

"Sorry about that, girls," I said, grinning apologetically and scratching the side of my head.

"You. Scared. Me. Half. To. Death!" she bit out.

Hermione's glare softened finally, "But... it's okay, Harry. Just... just try not to do something like that again."

I saluted, "Yes ma'am." Looking down and picking up the book that had fallen, I noticed she was reading _Hogwarts: A History_. "I seem to remember you reading this a lot over the last few years whenever I saw you..." I trailed off as I tried to remember. It definitely stuck in my mind that it seemed to be her favorite book because I had seen her with it so many times.

She looked away, blushing again for some reason, "Well... ummm... y-yeah, it's one of my favorites. Did you know each copy is charmed so that if there are any new additions to it they update themselves? So almost every year there's something a bit different, and it's interesting to read the new or different parts."

I gave her back the book as the others finally got back outside. Ron seemed to be happy as can be still, his arms around Dean and Seamus as they chatted away. The twins were no longer with them, but Bill and Charlie were there along with Neville, and they were talking together as they walked towards them.

"So what happened? We heard some screaming and thought that perhaps Harry here," Ron said, looking at me, "had decided to go tanning with you guys... _naked_ of course, hence the screaming."

This time it was I who was glaring, and it was directed at Ron, while the guys cringed at the thought and laughed a bit.

After explaining what happened, the Weasley brothers couldn't believe that I was still alive. First, they told me that they were shocked that their little sister hadn't used her patent-pending bat-bogey hex. Second, they were surprised Fleur hadn't actually attacked him and that Hermione hadn't done anything either. For the rest of the day, I was referred to as the luckiest chap of the day.

We all sat down next to the girls and started talking.

Bill and I discussed a little bit about the basics of wards, but Fleur wanted to spend some time with him and so he excused himself, promising to teach me tomorrow morning. Charlie, Neville and I ended up talking about dragons, and boy was there a lot to them I didn't know. Like how dragon bones are actually one of the strongest substances known to man, kind of like Wolverine's adamantium metal, but without the regenerative side-effect. The reason why dragon hide was more widespread was because of the ease of harvesting it relative to the bones of the dragon.

"It is rumored that Godric Gryffindor's sword is actually made with enchanted mithril steel mixed with refined dragon bone, making it a near-impossible weapon to break or wear down coupled with all the enchantments on it," Charlie told us, and Neville gaped. I was probably making the same face as well because Ron called from the floor where he was playing wizard chess with Dean, "Close your mouth, Harry! Those... things... Luna was talking about might eat you from the inside!"

I laughed at that and so did everyone else, while Ron turned slightly red. His remark would have been good had he not screwed it up, and he knew that.

Later on we headed back inside, chatting in the new living room of the Burrow as night finally arrived.

Hermione was talking to Ginny on the couch, her copy of _Hogwarts: A History_ on the coffee table before them.

"So what is the most dangerous dragon there is?" Neville asked, clearly interested in finding out.

Charlie leaned in, his eyes darting around and making it look conspiratorial and inducing both Neville and I to lean in as well to hear it. "Well, there are a dozen different really nasty dragons, but the nastiest of all hasn't been officially seen in the last few hundred years and so are thought to be extinct. These dragons were called the Obsidian Destroyers. Pure jet-black scales, the strongest and thickest scales of all dragons. They have higher magical resistance levels and are hard as diamonds."

"Dark gray spikes jut out from the top of their head all the way to the tip of their tail, all on their back of course. Mind you, their spikes and claws and teeth were the sharpest, and their jaws were strong enough to break large boulders without much difficulty, that is if the dragon happened to have boulders in its mouth. Their eyes are a bright green, and are said to glow before they unleash their white-hot flames that can reach temperatures of several thousand degrees in a matter of seconds."

All the while as he was describing them to us, Hermione and Ginny had apparently decided that it was time for payback and as we were all so engrossed none of us paid any heed to the advancing girls. Hands grabbed me and war-cry-like yells made me jump up in surprise, letting a yelp out of my own. Neville had also sprung up in shock, but fainted almost immediately afterward while Charlie just moved back a little, eyes wide.

As I had jumped up, I moved my wrist slightly and my wand appeared in my hands as I pointed it at them, breathing hard, I knew it was them in the back of my mind which was why I hadn't started cursing as soon as I was able to, but it still took a few seconds before I lowered my wand.

"Holy crap, Harry," Ginny said, wide-eyed, "That was _fast_."

I grinned or at least tried to as my mind and heart were still racing. Waking up Neville with a quick _ennervate, _I hid my wand with a flick of my wrist sending it back into its holster. "Wha...?" he said groggily, scratching his head and rubbing his eyes as he rolled to a crawl and the leaned back to rest on his heels.

Hermione looked surprised as well, but said nothing as she and Ginny snapped out of it and high-fived each other before walking back to their couch.

Shaking my head and helping Neville to stand up, I saw that it was definitely dark out.

"CHECKMATE!" Ron exclaimed triumphantly, pumping his fists into the air, "YEAH!"

I turned to see Dean give a sigh of utter frustration, and from the look on his face he was truly unhappy. Seamus was smiling next to them both, clearly amused. Ron's chess pieces were celebrating, while Dean's cowered in fear with heads lowered.

"Dinner's ready!" a sweet voice called from the kitchen, and sure enough Ron was the first one to go to the kitchen, his speedy exit amusing everyone as they got up and left the salon.

"Harry, dear! I didn't know you had come over!" Mrs. Weasley said, rushing over and giving me her famous bone-crushing hug. Wondering if there was a world record for the number of seconds anyone could last while being hugged by Molly Weasley, I sat down as she set up an extra dining set for me.

"The new dining room isn't finished yet, so we're eating here still, but it should be done in two days. Oh! I am _so _excited for your party, Harry. I haven't been to one in quite a while, you see, and it would be fantastic to see your new home!"

Soon enough it was time for me to go, as I realized that it was actually close to nine in the evening. I bade goodbye to everyone, the non-Weasleys were all sleeping over apparently as one of the first additions to the house were more bedrooms and it was sort of a 'house-warming' for the Weasleys.

Ron told me he would have invited me but knew that I would be busy for the week, and I accepted the excuse, though I still felt a little left out. Promising to at least ask me next time, he apologized once more before I left.

Looking forward to the warding lesson with Bill tomorrow and the Chudley Cannons tryouts, I went home. After a brief shower I turned in butt-naked, too tired to put on any clothes.

Sniggering. There was a lot of sniggering. Everything was dark, I couldn't see, but I knew someone was sniggering because I could hear it. I wondered who in the world it was and where the hell I was. Fearing that I was blind, I tried to move, and suddenly felt the soft bed underneath me.

I was still half-asleep, but the sniggering was much more distinct now, and I could hear another sound too. This one intermittent. It was the sound of... a _camera_ flashing?

I finally remembered that I had gone to bed without bothering to put any pajamas on, and so I realized that I was completely naked. Thankfully, I was face-down on my bed, and I could feel the covers partially covering me, but I realized that my butt was somewhat sticking out.

I quickly turned around and pulled the covers over me completely save for my head, thought it made me dizzy as the sudden movement was a little too much for my sleepy state to handle well. My mother and father were there, a camera in my father's hands.

"MUM! DAD! BLOODY HELL!" I yelled, the loudness of my voice actually making my own head hurt and I instantly regretted doing that.

"Sorry, kiddo, couldn't resist a bit of possible blackmail in the future," my mother said, her green eyes flashing amusement.

My dad grinned, though the happiness didn't quite reach his eyes completely. _He still looks troubled_, I thought as I watched him closely. He actually looked like had not gotten much sleep, again.

At the moment, however, I couldn't quite care much because they had taken pictures of my arse and mentioned possibly using them for blackmail, which made me hate them for now.

"I'm going to destroy that camera. I hate you guys."

My parents gave each other a look before bursting out into laughter, my mother's much louder and stronger than my father's, but at least he was lightening up a bit. "Well dear, once you get _dressed _and freshened up, breakfast is ready. I cooked it this time, though of course Willie says that he will therefore definitely be cleaning up after us." With that said they left, my dad waving the camera over his head with a sly grin before following my mother.

Breakfast consisted of several sausages and corned beef hash, which was all delicious. The orange juice tasted refreshingly fresh and sweet, just the way I liked it, and I thanked mum for a wonderful breakfast before I stood to leave. Wondering where I was going, my parents asked, and I told them that I had planned to meet with Bill Weasley to learn a few things about wards and whatever else he could teach me. Waving goodbye in a theatrical manner, resulting in a laugh from my dear mother, I was soon outside and apparating.

"So wards are like glass around an object in a snowglobe?" I asked, trying to understand.

"Yes, quite like it. The shape of most wards is spherical, though certain wards are meant to be able to follow the shape of whatever is warded. All wards can be reshaped a bit, but it depends on your power level how much you can reshape it," Bill explained, "A ward at its most basic level is a special type of shield that, aside from encompassing the entirety of something, has special properties embedded deep within it. You see, a ward is really a series of what you could say are 'codes' that define the parameters and effects of the ward.

"This code is repeated throughout the entire surface of the ward, and therefore you could say that if you took one piece of complete 'coding' from that ward, you would have a shield with the same properties. However, back to wards, so the very essence of a ward are these codes, which are actually made up of ancient runes. These runes cross over the entirety of the ward, and the way to dismantle them is to look at the runes and slowly manipulate them with certain spells so that eventually, the ward becomes unstable and collapses on itself."

"Although, you could also just use pure brute force and bombard it with whatever curses, hexes, and other spells you can think of too. But I'm here to teach you the finer art of warding and breaking," he added.

"Now you must be wondering how these runes are created, well," Bill paused at this as he looked like he was finding the right words to say, "Wards are very ancient magic, hence the runes, but the way that wards are created is that when you cast it, you are actually casting several spells at once, which is why warding is so taxing on a person - especially with larger objects.

I honestly don't know how Dumbledore does it, but he has put up many of his own wards around Hogwarts, which you know is enormous - so the first spell is the spell that creates what you could say is a translator. It translates the next spells into rune-form for ancient magic, and the next few spells are what you want the ward to do, and then the last spell puts it all into action. Then it is up to you to control the shape, size, and strength of the ward by adjusting the amount of magic you are using as well as using your wand movements."

"Wow, I didn't know wards were both so simple and so complex at the same time," I said, impressed and itching to try out warding.

"Now, let me give you a demonstration," Bill said, and with that he pulled a small cube out of his pocket. Putting it on the ground, he stepped back motioning for me to do so as well. He then enlarged the box until it was about five feet high and just as wide.

"I will ward this box to not allow any person with a magical signature to touch it."

He then gathered his power and did a few movements with his wand before casting the ward. A bright blue light flashed from the tip of his wand and the air around the box shimmered. What looked like water falling on and around the box appeared before disappearing into nothingness. That, I guessed, was the ward.

"Go ahead, try and touch it," Bill encouraged.

I walked up to the box and moved my hand to touch. About an inch away from surface of the box, my hand was stopped by some invisible force. "That's fantastic," I said, "And you don't even look tired!"

Bill laughed, "That's because this is a small object, Harry, compared to warding a house or a tomb for that matter, this is nothing. Now, let me show you how to dismantle it."

He then spent the next hour or so telling me what spells to use and how they worked, and after about ten minutes of practicing casting them I finally got them down - at least the simple ones. Bill then told me to dismantle the ward he had placed on the box, which he said was actually a simple ward, and thus should be no problem for me to dismantle.

"_Reverro_," I cast the spell that would let me see the encoding of the ward. I saw several runes repeating over and over dozens of times as the spell did its work. I then tried to remember my ancient runes and slowly worked for the next twenty minutes, sweat forming on my brow, before finally I saw the same shimmering as the watery transluscent substance fell away from the box. I moved to touch it, and felt the rough wood surface of the box on my skin. I couldn't help but let out a small cry of success, and Bill laughed at that.

"Bravo, Harry! That was good work. I see you had trouble deciphering the runes, but you should see the stuff I've run into over the years," he said excitedly, his eyes seemingly going to some faraway place, "The ancient wards are usually beautifully done, so much so that it really is quite difficult to dismantle them properly without any adverse effects. See, if you make a mistake in your messing with the ward, the ward changes, and sometimes that change can be... dangerous.

Since wards are made of magical energy and therefore contain magical energy themselves in order to work, if you dismantle one carelessly it would collapse but at the same time can cause damage to anything outside of it as it can become so unstable that it explodes.. at least the ancient ones do. Now, brute force attacks on wards don't make them explode because the magical energy of your spell weakens the magical energy of the ward until it cannot sustain itself and thus collapses. No energy means no explosion."

I nodded in understanding, but I did have a question I had been wanting to ask all this time. "Wouldn't it be easier to just attack every ward then?"

Bill smiled at that, "It depends. If you are facing few wards that are not too strong, then yes it would be easier to use brute force methods. However, if there are multiple layers of wards and if they are all very strong then it would take the average wizard a rather long time, not to mention it would exhaust him or her to do so. Thus, careful ward breaking is the smarter and faster route."

He continued the lesson and let me practice for a bit more before lunch finally came around and he had to leave.

Fleur wanted to go out that afternoon and spend some more time with her fiance. Thanking him for his help, I stayed for a bit and hung out with Ron, Hermione and the others, getting to know them a little better.

Eventually though the sun began to set and I bid everyone goodbye as I had to check to make sure everything was ready for the party tomorrow. They were all going to attend, apparently, and I was happy that they would be there.

I checked the catering company once again, and I told them to expect me at six-thirty in the afternoon to let them in to prepare. I then checked up on the house itself, making sure everything was in order. I had expanded the already large dining hall, but instead of using the large, long table I shrunk that, placed it in the storage room, and then took out several smaller tables - much like at Ron's coming-of-age party.

When everything was more or less ready for the final preparations tomorrow, I went back to Potter Manor, ate dinner, took a quick shower, and went to bed.

_Dressed_ this time around, I slowly drifted off into sleep's welcome arms.

* * *

**A/N: **Thanks for the reviews, I do appreciate it if you could take the time to do so. Thanks for reading and I hope you are enjoying it. Any comments? Review and tell me!


	4. Chapter 4

**Money Isn't Everything  
**

_Chapter 4  
_

* * *

_**DISCLAIMER: **_Harry Potter is still not mine, nor anything in the Potter universe.

* * *

I was drifting off, weightless and yet aware of every inch of my body.

I was surrounded by white nothingness and engulfed by silence.

It was very peaceful.

And I thought I drifted there for some time. Hours? Days? Years even?

I didn't know. I had no sense of time.

But then I started to feel a dull aching coming from within me. The ache spread quickly, until I felt like there was something stirring inside of me.

Suddenly, I was rocking back and forth, and spinning around as the white nothingness turned into a kaleidoscope of colors, bright and dark, all flashing. It was extremely dizzying and nauseating. I felt like throwing up.

Then it stopped, and I was engulfed in darkness.

How strange, I thought, what was happening?

Then almost as soon as that thought had run its course in my head, there was pain. Terrible pain.

I had heard of the cruciatus curse, one of the three unforgivable curses. Classed unforgivable by the Ministry for its use in the dark arts. It was a spell that caused the target to experience an enormous amount of pain, unimaginable pain. If this was what it felt like, then it was definitely categorized correctly by the Ministry.

I woke up, doused in sweat, the sheets absolutely drenched. I couldn't really think straight, as the pain was overwhelming. Ever inch of my body hurt, and finally I opened my mouth to yell, and yet no sound was emitted.

In my mind though, I was screaming as loud as I could. I thrashed about, eventually falling onto the floor, but even hitting the hardwood floor of my room didn't really register.

What the hell was happening to me? The pain, unfortunately, escalated to new heights.

Then the darkness consumed me once more.

oxoXoXoXoXo

I woke up back in my bed. My body absolutely sore all over.

I turned over, groggily trying to remember what the hell just happened to me. It was the worst nightmare I had ever experienced. It felt so real, so very real.

I wondered what prompted my subconscious to dream about that. To make me go through such a terrible thing, on my birthday no less.

The soft pop of Willie finally made me open my eyes. He never came into my room unless my parents told him to or I called for him. Something was up.

"Is master Harry okay? Willie found the young master on the floor," he spoke, concern in his voice, "Willie replaced master Harry's sheets because they were all wet and put young master back on his bed."

My eyes opened wide at that statement. "Willie..." I croaked, my voice was strained and my throat ached. I realized that talking was a struggle at the moment.

I willed myself to speak, putting every ounce of mental strength I had into the task. "Get my parents," I finally was able to say clearly.

With a nod, the house elf disappeared.

Moments later, the door to my room opened as my parents rushed in with worried looks.

"Are you okay dear?" my mother asked, sitting on the bed next to me and putting a hand to my forehead.

"Was it that bad?" my father looked at me with concern.

Was it that bad? I repeated the question to myself. What does he mean by _it_? A few seconds later I managed to ask this question, finding that my voice was slowly returning to me.

"The change," my mother answered, "it happens to everyone when they come of age."

"It usually hurts a bit, but it shouldn't be much worse than say... being hit by a bludger. Okay, well maybe several times, but still..." my father added, earning a slight glare from my mother.

I shook my head slightly, or at least I think I did, I wasn't sure if I was able to. What the hell was this change they were talking about? And it most certainly did not hurt like a bludger! More like getting roasted over an open fire while being hit by a hundred snitches that were as heavy as bludgers.

I managed to ask, "Change?" while giving them a confused look.

They looked at each other, then back at me.

My mother stroked my cheek, "Yes dear. When you come of age, or mature, your body becomes more in tune with magic. It changes your magical power, almost always by amplifying it, and enlarges your magical endurance by, as we mentioned earlier, attuning you more closely to magic itself."

My dad nodded, standing with his arms crossed behind her, eyes full of concern but also pride. "Son, your mother might not have noticed yet, and you probably haven't either, but I just did. If you look at yourself right now, you'll see some... changes. And the next time you cast a spell, perhaps maybe even when you pick up your wand, you'll feel those changes as well."

I groaned slightly as I shifted in my bed trying to prop myself up.

Slowly, I managed to rest on the headboard of my bed, my parents still watching me with concern and a little bit of curiosity I realized. They wanted to know how much the change had... well, changed me.

I slowly moved the covers off the bed. Thankfully, I was wearing boxers, I hadn't even thought about whether or not I was clothed. I saw that my muscles were definitely more defined, or at least I thought they were, and my legs seemed... farther.

"You've gotten a bit taller," my mother said with approval.

"Put on a little more muscle to boot! Man, the ladies are definitely going to be _all over you__._" My dad grinned like a schoolboy, though it was short-lived as Lily smacked his thigh for the comment. "What? Only telling the truth, sheesh... women." Another smack and he finally shut up, though he shook his head and rubbed his thigh where she had hit him.

"How are you feeling?" my mother asked.

I was still trying to process everything that had happened, but I turned to her and said, "I'm starting to feel better. Still a bit achy though... and parched."

A few seconds later Willie appeared with a tray of snacks and some water, which I gladly accepted.

"Well, you're over the worst part of it now," my dad said, "Feel better kiddo, I'll see you later. I have some things to attend to." He gave me a wink before leaving.

My mother grabbed stroked my cheek again, "My baby is all grown up now," she whispered, her eyes getting misty.

To be honest, I was feeling like tearing up as well, but I tried my best to hide it. I simply smiled and grabbed her hand.

"Love you mum."

She smiled slightly at that and then ruffled my hair, "Love you too, Harry. Now rest as much as I you can. You have a long night ahead of you. I'll have Willie check up on you later," she said, "Make sure to hydrate and eat! I'm sure you must be hungry."

As if on cue, my stomach growled, and I eyed the snacks that Willie had brought.

My mother leaned in and gave me a kiss on the forehead before she stood and walked over to the door. "You'll always be my baby boy, Harry. Don't forget that."

She left before I had a chance to reply. I smiled though before turning my attention to the food and water before me.

oXoXoXoXoXo

Six-thirty came around pretty quick, and soon enough I had brought the caterers over and they were setting everything up. Things were going on schedule and everything was coming together.

I was still feeling sore all over, but I was able to talk clearly and walk around without any difficulty. My body felt a little awkward – I was still trying to get used to my new height and weight.

I had realized I was probably closer to Ron's height now, roughly 6'1" or so, and more muscle mass meant more weight. He was still a bit taller I think. Now I understood how he got so big.

I had, earlier today, hired some temporary guards for the party. Some ex-auror outfit called Magical Defenders - not very original, but they got the job done. A squad of ten wizards stationed all around my home, six setting up a perimeter around the house and patrolling while the other four were to be stationed within the house. Two at both the front and back entrances.

I talked to each one of them myself, and was satisfied with their answers as well as my read on their personalities. Cost a decent amount, but the added security was necessary for the guests I was having.

Having been in bed all day, I hadn't done any spells yet, and I had a moment to try out a few in one of the extra rooms.

I got my wand out and instantly felt more at ease and in tune with it than ever before. I also could sense something was a little different, but I couldn't quite put my finger on what it was.

I started with simple spells first, moving on to slightly more complex ones in succession.

Light spell. Levitation. Locking and unlocking spells. Cleaning spells. Then I moved on to slightly more aggressive ones that required a some reparos and a few more powerful repair spells. All of this happened in a span of five minutes, and I didn't feel the least bit tired from the ordeal.

Even after blowing a hole in the wall and torching part of the room, much to the surprise and annoyance of the guards who had all rushed to the scene with wands at the ready. After dousing the flames and repairing everything else I had damaged, I left, satisfied for now that my magical abilities had indeed increased.

I made a mental note to determine at a later time just how much my magic had changed.

The musicians provided by the catering service began to set up at around 7pm when Aurors also started to arrive. Apparently the Minister and some of the other officials I invited were attending the party after all. A group of six Aurors walked up to me as I stood on the back terrace directing the caterers.

"Hello Mr. Potter," greeted a tall, black Auror. "I am Kingsley Shacklebolt, senior Auror, and I've been tasked to secure your residence for the arrival of the Minister and the other officials."

I smiled and shook his outstretched hand, "I'm assuming you are aware of my own guards already here," I said to him.

He nodded, "Yes sir, they already challenged us when we arrived, but they realized who we were and why we are here. I don't want to take any more of your time, sir, but I wanted to let you know that we will be positioning inside your home in the designated event area. There will be another group of six Aurors apparating in with the Minister, and they will be manning the entrances and also the roof once they get here."

With a nod of acknowledgment at that, I continued to direct the caterers as the Aurors walked into my house.

It was a strange feeling, calling it _my _house. Made me feel old.

The front doors led into the foyer, which was rather large with two staircases half-spiraling up to the second floor right across from it. Underneath them and in between someone could walk through to the main dining room.

Once someone walks in, to the left there was the doorway to the living room and to the right was the doorway to the tea room. On the exterior wall, the one with the front doors, there were large, tall windows. Banners with the Potter crest hung over them.

I decided that the tea room would be the presents room. I decided I'd let Willie handle that area, making sure to scan every gift and to ensure their safety.

Tonight is going to be a good night, I thought to myself.

oXoXoXoXoXooXoXoXoXoXo

The first guests to arrive were my parents. Five minutes early.

I greeted them at the front door. Goodness, they were a good-looking couple. My father was dressed in a well-tailored tux while my mother had a simple but beautiful white dress on.

Mum quickly went inside to look around the house before the other guests arrived, leaving my father and me at the foyer.

The two guards flanked the entryway, standing still, their dark blue robes looking almost black in the dim light.

"You look absolutely sharp son." My dad grinned as he pulled me in for a big hug. "Happy birthday. I'm so proud of you."

I smiled, surely not for the last time that night, as I thanked him and returned the compliment.

"So, what's on the menu? I'm starving," he said as he finally let me go and took a step back.

"Oh don't worry, you'll be more than satisfied with the menu tonight. Definitely going to be stuffed even before dessert comes around, unless you save some space for it of course," I replied back, feeling a little bit hungry myself.

"Did I hear something about food?" asked a voice by the door.

My dad and I both looked over and warmly greeted my uncles, Sirius and Remus and their wives, Serena and Dora (Tonks) respectively.

"Yeah, I'm pretty hungry myself. I'm ready to ___wolf_down some food," said uncle Remus, nudging uncle Sirius - who shook his head at the lame joke - with his elbow.

"Wow, Harry, looking good. The coming of age change worked out well, I see," Sirius said with a nod of approval. "Damn James, I don't think even you looked that good back in the day."

My dad shot him a look, "May I remind you that Harry here is my son and he looks just as dashing as I was when I was known as the ladykiller."

Remus and Sirius looked at each other silently for a second, then were laughing loudly the next. My dad simply shook his head and sniffed slightly, muttering "jealous" under his breath though he grinned.

"And the rest of your family?" my dad finally asked Sirius, who smiled though it didn't quite reach his eyes.

"They are unable to attend, thankfully," he answered, "Though my brother Regulus had expressed his interest in attending. He had some pressing work to do apparently, but he does send his regards and his warmest birthday greetings to you, dear nephew."

I really only liked two people in the Black family, Sirius and Regulus. They were quite the duo, though of course I knew more about Sirius and liked him more thanks to him being best friends with my father. Not to mention he was part of the Marauders.

"A pity," Remus said at last, "Regulus would have livened up the conversations tonight. Guess I'll have to settle for Sirius' ramblings."

Dora looked at Serena and both women rolled their eyes as Sirius shot him a rather poor glare.

They finally took a moment to look around as I pointed the way towards the living room, which would be the cocktail area for the party.

My dad left with my uncles and aunts to go to the living room, starting on the drinks already no doubt.

The clock finally struck 7:30pm and I could sense the portkeys crossing the wards already. No doubt the guards outside were already eying the guests with caution.

I told the two guards in the foyer to stand outside flanking the door instead so that once people got inside they wouldn't feel weird with their presence. Not to mention the fact that perhaps one of the guards would glean some gossip. Not that Harry was worried about that, but it was always a possibility.

Some members of the Wizengamot stepped through the door, and I greeted these witches and wizards with great respect. They, in turn, all greeted me a happy birthday and congratulated me for coming of age. A couple made note of his changed appearance and complimented him on his new home as well.

Dumbledore was among them; Albus Dumbledore of course being the Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot.

"Harry, my boy, Happy birthday! How are you?" Albus Dumbledore said merrily, eyes as twinkly as ever, as he pulled me into a firm hug. He made no mention of my changed physical appearance.

Albus was tall, well over six feet, with a long, flowing white beard that went down to his waist. Half-moon glasses perched on his long nose, through which he looked at you with his twinkling blue eyes. At least, whenever he actually did look through them. His glasses usually were low on his nose and more often than not he didn't really use them when looking about.

He was also old. In fact, so old nobody really knew _how _old he was. Some say he was well over 150 years or so. He wore a rather fancy looking dress robe, at least fancy for Dumbledore.

The Dumbledores were a somewhat odd lot, but extremely intelligent and very powerful both magically and politically. Well, the political power mostly came from Albus.

I liked him though. He was always nice to me and he seemed to genuinely care. Dumbledore had spoken with me often during my Hogwarts years, always interested in what I was doing. At first I thought he was very meddlesome, but he grew on me and I guess I got used to his attention.

"I'm doing very well, thank you Albus," I said. It still felt strange to call him that, even after I had graduated and he had insisted that I address him by his first name. "And how are you?"

"Oh? Just fine, Harry. Just fine. Now, I shan't keep you from your other guests then," he winked at me before gliding into the living room after the other Ministry officials.

I greeted several more Ministry people before Neville and his family walked through the doors.

"Harry! Happy birthday!" Neville exclaimed, pulling me into a hug.

I grinned at him, "Happy birthday to you too, Nev! Glad you could make it." I greeted his parents as well, and his gran, who I was slightly surprised was there. I guess she didn't really get out much though so she most probably insisted that she tag along.

"I'm a little surprised you're here, Nev. I would've thought you'd have gone out to dinner with your family," I told him.

He shrugged, "Yeah, well we can still have our dinner here plus we get to celebrate with everyone else, especially with you Harry."

Seamus and Dean along with their respective families got there after the Longbottoms. Then the Diggory family, who my mother insisted I invite. I wasn't too close with them, but Cedric was a nice guy and his family was good to us.

The Lovegoods, who were good friends with the Longbottoms and the Weasleys, showed up too. Xenophilius Lovegood and his daughter, Luna, greeted Harry with much enthusiasm as they entered.

"You have a beautiful home, Harry," Luna said as her father joined the growing crowd in the reception area. She locked her gaze onto mine and, with as much seriousness as I had ever seen from her before, she thanked me for having invited her to my party. With that, she hummed a tune as she too walked into the reception area.

That girl was always a strange one, but she was very nice and was a good friend.

The Weasleys were next, and it seemed all of them except Bill was there. Even Fleur had come! Much to my dismay as she seemed to take a fancy to using her veela powers on me every chance she got.

Sure enough, I had a tough time keeping myself from ogling her as I said hello to everyone.

After the bone-crushing hug from Mrs. Weasley was over quicker than expected, and some tears were shed, most of the Weasley clan moved on to the living room except Ron and Ginny.

"You look beautiful, Ginny," I said truthfully as I received a hug from the redhead.

"And you look quite dashing, if I may say so myself, Mr. Potter," she whispered back before we let each other go. "Happy birthday."

Ron seemed a little amazed at my sudden growth, shaking his head as he said, "Damn, you grew a bit more than I thought you would!"

I laughed at that, "Yeah. I don't mind, really. You're still taller though."

Ron grinned at that before looking about, "Well, where's the food Harry? I'm famished."

Ginny scoffed at that, "I still don't understand your appetite, Ron. You _just _ate a sandwich about an hour ago."

Shrugging, Ron put a hand on my shoulder and wished me a happy birthday again before he took Ginny with him into the living room. The sounds of talking and laughter were getting louder now, enough to drown out the music playing from the live band.

There weren't too many people left, especially considering that some of the people I invited no doubt had other plans or were not planning on attending.

Professors McGonagall and Flitwick along with Madam Pomfrey and Madam Hooch arrived together and they expressed great appreciation for being invited. McGonagall, of course, was my head of house when I was a student at Hogwarts.

Flitwick was one of the best charms teachers in England and Madam Pomfrey saw me quite a number of times from all the escapades and Quidditch injuries that I got as a student. Speaking of Quidditch, of course I had to invite Madam Hooch too. I didn't really know her, but she was always nice plus some of my fondest memories in Quidditch involved her since she was the match referee.

Oliver Wood and his wife showed up too, and I was quite happy to see them. He beamed at me and congratulated me on coming of age as we caught up on each other's lives.

He was playing professional Quidditch in France, apparently, where he had met his wife, Nicole. She was a beautiful brunette with a shy personality. Her French accent wasn't as bad as Fleur's so I was able to understand her better, not to mention she wasn't half-veela so it was easier to focus too.

Aurors walked in, eyes scanning the room, as I realized who was entering.

Minister Amelia Bones and her daughter, Susan, walked into the foyer, surrounded by their detachment of Aurors.

"Happy birthday, Harry!" Susan said enthusiastically as she gave me a hug.

Surprised, but not showing it, I hugged her back and thanked her as Amelia smiled and greeted me as well.

"Happy birthday, Harry. I'm sorry for the inconvenience my Aurors are causing," she said, "But its Ministry procedure..." she trailed off as she finally took me in with her eyes. "You look great, my dear boy. The change has done you well."

I didn't know what to say to that so I merely nodded.

"Well, I won't be staying too long, dear, but I won't be leaving so soon either," Amelia told me, "It's been a long day and I do look forward to relaxing a little." With that she told me happy birthday again and then walked into the living room with Susan in tow.

A few more people arrived before I figured that that was everyone. But just as I was about to finally leave the foyer, someone else walked in.

To say I was stunned would be an understatement.

* * *

**A/N: **Well, it's been a terribly long, long time, but I'm writing again so be happy! (I hope)


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